innovation

According to CoinDesk, at the Consensus Hong Kong conference, Sui executives Stephen Mackintosh and Evan Cheng stated that 2025 will be a "watershed year" for institutional crypto adoption, as the introduction of the "Genius Act" has significantly increased institutions' understanding and demand for crypto assets.Mackintosh pointed out that the surge in Digital Asset Treasury (DAT) tools, the successful issuance of spot Bitcoin ETFs, and the entry of large trading firms like Citadel and Jane Street all indicate that institutions are accelerating their investments in crypto infrastructure and talent. He noted that even though market sentiment may weaken temporarily, options trading volume has reached record levels, and the structural growth trend remains unchanged, stating that "institutional demand has never been stronger."Cheng emphasized that traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralized finance (DeFi) will move towards integration rather than competition in the future. He pointed out that traditional products often have a "T+1" or longer settlement period, while DeFi offers "T+0" instant settlement, providing a clear efficiency advantage. Through asset tokenization, investors can immediately engage in collateralized lending after acquiring assets, thereby layering DeFi strategies on top of traditional exposures.Both executives also stated that tokenization and "agentic commerce" (AI-driven on-chain transactions) will become key focus areas in the next phase.

Web3 entertainment company YOAKE announced the completion of a $3.2 million strategic funding round, with participation from Sony Innovation Fund. The new funds will be used to accelerate the expansion of on-chain entertainment scenarios on Soneium, a blockchain network under Sony. To date, the company's total funding has reached $4.45 million.

According to official news, YOAKE entertainment, the company behind Record Protocol, announced today the completion of a $3.2 million (approximately 500 million yen) financing round, exclusively led by the Sony Innovation Fund (SIF). At the same time, Record is further deepening its partnership with Sony Block Solutions Labs Pte. Ltd. (SBSL), acting as a significant contributor to the ecosystem, accelerating its role as the core intellectual property financial (IPFi) infrastructure of Soneium, and promoting widespread implementation in fields such as music, film and television, gaming, and anime.This strategic cooperation marks an important advancement in the integration of traditional IP with blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies, creating new possibilities for Record to build an open infrastructure for global entertainment fans.

The Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Michael S. Selig, announced the establishment of the Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC) and appointed 35 members to provide recommendations on the regulation of breakthrough technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain.Committee members include representatives from blockchain projects such as Vivek Raman of Etherealize, Anatoly Yakovenko of Solana Labs, and Brad Garlinghouse of Ripple, as well as executives from major crypto trading platforms like Coinbase, Crypto.com, and Gemini. Founders of prediction markets Polymarket and Kalshi, as well as representatives from well-known venture capital firms like a16z crypto and Framework Ventures, are also included. Selig stated that the committee will assist the CFTC in developing rules that adapt to market realities, paving the way for a "golden age of American financial markets."

According to The Block, Michael S. Selig, chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), announced the establishment of an innovation advisory committee consisting of 35 members, with several executives from the cryptocurrency industry appointed.Selig stated that the committee will assist the CFTC in developing a regulatory framework regarding the role of "breakthrough technologies" such as artificial intelligence and blockchain in financial markets, ensuring that its decisions reflect market realities and establishing clear rules for "a golden age of American financial markets." The committee members include representatives from blockchain projects, such as Vivek Raman from Etherealize, Anatoly Yakovenko from Solana Labs, Brad Garlinghouse from Ripple, Sergey Nazarov, CEO of Chainlink Labs, and Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs.In terms of centralized exchanges, executives from Bullish, Coinbase, Crypto.com, Gemini, Kraken, Bitnomial, and Robinhood are included. Shayne Coplan, founder of the prediction market platform Polymarket, and Tarek Mansour, founder of Kalshi, have also been appointed. Chris Dixon from a16z crypto, Vance Spencer from Framework Ventures, and Alana Palmedo from Paradigm are also on the list. The committee also includes representatives from traditional financial institutions such as Cboe, CME, DTCC, Nasdaq, and options clearing companies.

Vitalik Buterin posted on the X platform that to make Ethereum the ideal platform for AI, it cannot simply replicate existing solutions with a different logo.He emphasized that meaningful technological improvements, such as zero-knowledge privacy-preserving payments and reputation systems, should be made to create infrastructure and applications that are truly superior to existing solutions.

According to CoinDesk, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee stated at the Consensus Hong Kong conference that the Hong Kong government is committed to building Hong Kong into a global innovation center for digital assets.John Lee emphasized that Hong Kong, leveraging its unique advantages of "one country, two systems," combined with deep financial market liquidity, innovative products, and a world-class investor protection system, is actively constructing a regulatory framework to promote the sustainable development of the Web3 ecosystem.He revealed that the Hong Kong Monetary Authority will soon issue the first batch of stablecoin licenses next month, and the Securities and Futures Commission is also working to enhance liquidity in the virtual asset market. He also expressed a welcome to global enterprises and institutions to join hands with Hong Kong to build a brighter digital future together.

According to Sing Tao Daily, the Hong Kong Chief Executive's Policy Unit held a digital finance seminar on February 8, 2026. Participants included a research team from the Financial Research Institute of the People's Bank of China, the chairman of the board of Yuan Coin Technology, members of the Web 3.0 Development Task Force, and experts such as former Monetary Authority Chief Executive Norman Chan.The meeting discussed how Hong Kong can contribute to the country's goal of becoming a "financial powerhouse" through the high-quality development of digital finance. The focus was on three main aspects: the application scenarios of digital finance, balancing regulation with innovative development, and connecting with the mainland's digital financial infrastructure to achieve coordinated development.The head of the Chief Executive's Policy Unit, Huang Yuanshan, stated that Hong Kong should seize the wave of digitalization and promote high-quality financial development to support the goal of becoming a financial powerhouse. Hong Kong has advantages in technological infrastructure, an active market, and a favorable policy environment. The application of digital finance should shift from financial innovation to serving the real economy, such as promoting the tokenization of assets to extend to real-world assets like precious metals and renewable energy, addressing issues like poor liquidity and cumbersome transactions associated with traditional assets.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Becerra recently stated that Hong Kong is currently exploring a new financial system based on digital assets as a "sandbox" for financial innovation, raising market concerns about potential impacts on the pricing systems of Bitcoin and gold.Becerra added that there is currently no conclusive evidence to prove this, but related rumors continue to circulate in the market, and the U.S. is closely monitoring the situation. Analysts point out that if a sovereign digital asset system linked to gold emerges in the future, it could have a long-term impact on the existing U.S. dollar-dominated financial system and the pricing logic of crypto assets. However, at present, discussions are still more about policy and market speculation, with short-term impacts on the crypto market primarily driven by sentiment and expected trading.

The new chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Mike Selig, stated that he supports legitimate innovation in prediction markets, and it is time to establish clear rules.Earlier reports indicated that the CFTC officially withdrew the proposal to ban prediction contracts for political events made during the Biden administration.

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin stated that currently, a large number of newly created EVM chains are simply replicating existing architectures or connecting to Ethereum through optimistic bridges with a one-week delay. This approach is akin to the governance replication seen in Compound; while it is "comfortable," it depletes innovation in the long run, leading the ecosystem into a dead end.If a new chain does not connect to Ethereum's optimistic bridge (i.e., purely a substitute L1), the situation is even worse. What the ecosystem truly needs are projects that can bring new features, such as privacy protection, application-specific efficiency, or ultra-low latency. The form of "Ethereum connection" must match the actual functionality.For example, prediction market applications can issue and settle markets on L1, manage user accounts, but transaction execution occurs in a Rollup or L2-like system, with L1 verifying signatures and market states. A deeply connected L1 architecture should be prioritized, rather than a formal bridge for recognition.Another type of "application chain" can verify algorithm execution on government, social media, or gaming platforms, ensuring updates are authorized and executed according to pre-committed rules through technologies like STARK. Although these chains are not entirely Ethereum, they can provide algorithmic transparency and minimize trust, facilitating economic activities that were previously impossible.New projects should achieve two points: first, truly bring innovation, not just replicate existing EVM chains; second, ensure that the public relations image matches actual functionality. The project's claimed level of connection to Ethereum should genuinely reflect its technical and ecological dependencies, ensuring ecosystem interoperability and long-term value.

According to official news, MEXC has launched Zama Protocol (ZAMA) in the innovation zone on February 2, 2026, at 20:03 (UTC+8) and opened the ZAMA/USDT and ZAMA/USDC trading markets.On the same day at 20:10 (UTC+8), U-based contracts were opened, supporting 1-20 times leverage, with flexible adjustments. In addition, this cryptocurrency will soon be available for MEXC's instant exchange, allowing seamless and real-time exchanges with other assets.

According to market news, the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Paul Atkins, has retracted the previous timeline regarding the "crypto innovation exemption" that was expected to be announced this month, and when asked about the timing, he declined to commit to releasing final rules this month or even next month.He stated that the SEC is still studying the details and is taking a cautious approach, emphasizing that the progress of the crypto market structure bill currently under consideration by Congress may also affect the timing of the exemption rules. These proposed exemption rules are intended to provide assurances for companies in specific crypto areas such as tokenized securities and DeFi, allowing their related activities to be free from SEC enforcement actions. Atkins had previously expressed hope that the rules would be released in January, but at an event co-hosted with the CFTC this Thursday, he changed his tone, stating that "we need to think twice" and expressed a desire to see Congress provide clear direction.

According to The Block, Sony's innovation fund has invested an additional $13 million in Soneium blockchain co-developer Startale Group as the first funding for its Series A round.Previously, Startale received $3.5 million in seed funding from Sony in 2023 and secured $3.5 million in seed extension funding from DCM and Samsung Next in 2024, bringing the total public financing amount to $20 million. Startale is headquartered in Singapore and has co-developed the Ethereum Layer 2 network Soneium and the ecosystem entry application Startale App with Sony's Blockchain Solutions Lab.

The MEXC Innovation Zone has launched USAT (USAT) on January 27, 2026, at 22:00 (UTC+8) and opened the USAT/USDT trading market. MEXC has also launched the MEXC Earn activity, where users can stake USAT to share 300,000 USAT, enjoying up to 300% APR. New users can also receive interest rate coupons for free.Activity period: January 27, 2026, 22:00 (UTC+8) -- February 26, 2026, 22:00 (UTC+8)

Ripple announced a partnership with Riyad Bank's innovation department, Jeel, a major financial institution in Saudi Arabia. The two parties will collaborate through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly explore the application scenarios of blockchain technology in the Saudi financial system. The focus of the cooperation includes cross-border payments, digital asset custody, and asset tokenization, with the related exploration aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030," modernizing financial infrastructure, and reducing reliance on the oil economy.Reece Merrick, Managing Director of Ripple Middle East and Africa, stated that this partnership reflects the institutional-level interest of large financial institutions in Saudi Arabia in blockchain infrastructure. Riyad Bank is one of the largest banks in Saudi Arabia, with assets exceeding $130 billion by mid-2025, playing a significant role in the national financial system.At the same time, the Middle East is gradually becoming an important market for digital asset innovation, with the UAE leading in regulatory clarity and institutional participation. Ripple continues to strengthen its presence in the Middle East, with its institutional-grade stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD) having received relevant regulatory approval and being traded on several mainstream platforms.

According to official news, MEXC has launched FIGHT (FIGHT) in the innovation zone on January 22, 2026, at 19:03 (UTC+8) and opened the FIGHT/USDT trading market.On the same day at 19:10 (UTC+8), the USDT contract was launched, supporting 1-20 times leverage, with flexible adjustments. In addition, this cryptocurrency will soon be available for MEXC's instant exchange, allowing for seamless, real-time exchanges with other assets.

The Hong Kong securities industry group has expressed objections to the city's proposed regulatory framework for digital asset management, warning that the related reforms could hinder traditional asset management institutions from venturing into the cryptocurrency space.In a submission to regulators on Tuesday, the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association opposed a proposed regulatory adjustment that would eliminate the existing "minimum exemption threshold" for Type 9 asset managers. According to a report by local law firm JunHe, under the current framework, institutions holding a Type 9 license (which covers discretionary portfolio and asset management services) are only required to notify regulators without applying for additional license upgrades if they allocate less than 10% of their total fund assets to crypto assets.The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Professionals Association pointed out that the proposed reform would remove this threshold, meaning that even a 1% exposure to Bitcoin would require obtaining a full virtual asset management license. The industry group stated that this "all or nothing" regulatory approach lacks proportionality and believes that it will still incur significant compliance costs even with limited risk exposure, potentially deterring traditional management institutions from attempting to engage with the crypto asset category.This industry backlash targets a regulatory framework that has already entered the fast lane. In December last year, Hong Kong authorities released a consultation summary report on related reform proposals following a public consultation that began in June. The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Securities and Futures Commission have initiated further consultations on introducing a supplementary licensing system for crypto asset trading, advisory, and management services.

According to official news, MEXC will launch HeyElsa (ELSA) in the innovation zone on January 20, 2026, at 16:00 (UTC+8) and open the ELSA/USDT trading market. On the same day at 16:10 (UTC+8), the USDT contract will be launched, supporting 1-20 times leverage, which can be adjusted freely.In addition, this cryptocurrency will also be available for instant exchange on MEXC, allowing seamless and immediate exchanges with other assets.