YM Lee

Stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) has announced the acquisition of a stake in Italian Serie A football club Juventus. On the 14th (local time), Tether stated through its official channels that "This investment represents a significant milestone for Tether, and we expect it to provide a new dimension of synergy between sports and digital assets." Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said, "The strategic investment in Juventus will serve as a foundation for Tether to lead the global market by combining new technology industries such as digital assets, AI, and biotech with sports."

Kaito, an AI-based Web3 search platform, has announced plans to launch its native token, KAITO. On the 14th (local time), Kaito announced through its official X (Twitter) account that "The transition to a new InfoFi era begins now. KAITO will be the key to becoming the circulation center for information, interest, and capital." The KAITO token will serve as the platform's native token and a fundamental component of the InfoFi network, intended to be utilized for market force control, network currency, and community governance activation.

Solana (SOL) network's bridge inflow has surpassed $10 billion. On the 14th (local time), cryptocurrency media CoinTelegraph, citing Flipside data, reported that "Solana's all-time inbound bridge volume since 2021 has exceeded $10.1 billion. This represents a 114% increase compared to total inflows through February 2024." They added, "While Solana recorded total inflows of $4.7 billion until February 12, 2024 since its inception, it has recently surpassed the combined performance of previous years, driven by tremendous growth including the meme coin fever."

Ethereum (ETH) staking supply has recorded its first decline in about two years since 2023. According to The Block's report on the 14th (local time), the current Ethereum staking supply is 27%, down about 2% from 29% recorded at the end of 2024. This marks the first downward turn since May 2023. The media analyzed, "While Ethereum and DeFi serve as crucial Web3 infrastructure, recent market interest has shifted to other protocols and ecosystems. This trend reflects investors reducing their stake positions to seek opportunities in other protocols."

China's Gaorong Ventures has invested $30 million in cryptocurrency unicorn HashKey Group. According to Bloomberg on the 14th (local time), citing anonymous sources, Beijing-based major venture capital firm Gaorong Ventures has invested $30 million in HashKey Group. Gaorong Ventures is well known as an early investor in Chinese internet companies such as Meituan and PDD Holdings.

World Liberty Financial (WLFI), known to be operated by the Trump family, has made additional purchases of MOVE and Wrapped Bitcoin worth millions of dollars. On the 14th (local time), crypto-focused media The Block, citing Nansen data, reported that the firm purchased $1.4 million worth of MOVE and $5 million worth of Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC). World Liberty has been accumulating various cryptocurrencies recently, including Ethereum (ETH), AAVE, TRON (TRX), and Edena (ENA).

LINE's Web3 subsidiary LINE NEXT announced that 'LINE Mini DApp,' launched last month, has secured 28 million global users within just three weeks of its release. Kim Tae-won, Head of Web3 Business at LINE NEXT, stated at the KAIA & LINE Mini DApp Community Gathering event held at The L'uo in Sinsa, Gangnam on the 13th, "LINE Mini DApp secured 10 million users in its first week and 28 million users within three weeks. We are doing our best to ensure that LINE's 200 million users can comfortably enjoy the Web3 experience." LINE NEXT plans to build a user 'reward'-centered infrastructure to expand the LINE Mini DApp global ecosystem. Kim explained, "User rewards are at the core of the Mini DApp business. All apps onboarding to the LINE Mini DApp ecosystem will provide points to reward users who contribute to the ecosystem, and users will be able to convert these into tokens or NFTs for future use." LINE NEXT has released a web version of the LINE Mini DApp portal to expand into global markets beyond Japan and Southeast Asia, where LINE currently serves as a major messenger service, to reach China, North America, and other markets. Kim Tae-won, Head of Web3 at LINE NEXT, said, "We launched the global DApp portal web version at 4 PM today. Web3 is a borderless industry. We will accelerate expansion by providing an entry point for global users even without the LINE app."

Interview with Yan Xin, CEO of Sign Protocol Building a Web3 Identity Verification Standard KYC Innovation Noted by 'Yzi Labs' Accelerating Ecosystem Growth Using Bitcoin Expanding into Global Markets Including Korea "Blockchain is originally a system built for transaction verification. We plan to leverage this characteristic to build infrastructure capable of verifying various digital information." Yan Xin, CEO of Sign Protocol, shared this vision in an interview with Bloomingbit on the 12th, discussing future expansion directions. We delved into the on-chain certification network, future expansion directions of Sign Protocol, and strategies for entering global markets including Korea. Building a Web3 Identity Verification Standard CEO Xin defines Sign Protocol as a 'digital identity verification innovation project' in the Web3 environment. In traditional financial systems, identity systems are managed through centralized institutions, but in blockchain, a decentralized solution for data verification is needed. Sign Protocol is an authentication system that supports solving this in the Web3 ecosystem. He stated, "Sign Protocol helps third parties verify personal information such as university diplomas and identity information through an 'on-chain authentication protocol' that verifies digital information using blockchain." Sign Protocol started with a contract signing service called 'eSign'. Through the operation of this service, they acquired related technology and know-how, expanding beyond contract verification to identity verification and data verification. CEO Xin explained, "Currently, we are conducting two main businesses: the 'on-chain authentication network' and the token distribution and management service 'Token Table'. We are conducting efficient identity verification and token data verification through verification infrastructure." Sign Protocol is building and operating a digital identity verification system in collaboration with countries like Sierra Leone and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and provides token distribution and management services to multiple projects such as MOVE, StarkNet, and Mocaverse. KYC Innovation Noted by Yzi Labs Accelerating Ecosystem Growth Using Bitcoin Sign Protocol is the highlight of the first investment round announced by Yzi Labs (formerly Binance Labs) after rebranding. Sign Protocol secured approximately $16 million through the Series A round led by Yzi Labs. CEO Xin stated about this investment round, "We will further strengthen the on-chain verification network through collaboration with strategic partners," adding, "We will build a more reliable system by linking the 250 million customer verification data held by Binance." Through collaboration with other partners participating in the investment round, such as the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) hedge fund Amber Group, they plan to expand various token management solutions, including lock-up token management and OTC trading support. Additionally, they are expanding the on-chain authentication infrastructure using the Bitcoin currently held by Sign Protocol. CEO Xin said, "Last year, Sign Protocol purchased Bitcoin using part of the profits. This was a strategic decision for Web3 ecosystem expansion, not just for investment purposes," adding, "We plan to introduce a system that rewards Bitcoin when specific users complete KYC (Know Your Customer) verification." He continued, "Bitcoin is the most trusted digital asset in the global market and will play a significant role in expanding blockchain-based KYC solutions that bring Web2 financial users into the Web3 ecosystem." Expanding into Global Markets Including Korea Sign Protocol is pursuing global expansion by collaborating with countries such as Bhutan, Honduras, and Thailand, in addition to Sierra Leone and the United Arab Emirates. CEO Xin stated, "We are particularly focusing on entering the Korean market." He said, "Korea has a well-established digital ID system and a developed KYC service market," adding, "Sign Protocol will enter the Korean market by introducing a more efficient on-chain verification system." A 'wallet verification system' for the Korean market is also under development. This system supports directly verifying on the blockchain whether a user's wallet address is an account that has completed KYC. CEO Xin stated, "We are currently collaborating with projects and venture capitals actively operating in the Korean market, such as KAIA, The Open Network, and Altos Ventures," adding, "We are preparing localized services based on these partnerships."

The Czech President has signed a bill that reduces the capital gains tax burden for long-term Bitcoin holders. According to a report by Bitcoin.com on the 6th (local time), President Petr Pavel officially signed a bill exempting capital gains tax for those holding Bitcoin for more than three years. The Czech Republic's parliament unanimously passed the bill exempting capital gains tax on Bitcoin held for over three years on December 6th last year.

Truthfi, the cryptocurrency platform of Trump Media, has registered trademarks for several products, including the 'Bitcoin Plus ETF'. According to a report by Cointelegraph on the 6th (local time), Truthfi has applied for trademarks for six products: △Truth.Fi Made in America ETF △Truth.Fi Made in America SMA △Truth.Fi U.S Energy Independence ETF △Truth.Fi U.S Energy Independece SMA △Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus ETF △Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus SMA.

Bitcoin ATMs are set to be installed in Costco stores across the United States. On the 6th (local time), cryptocurrency-focused media CoinPaprika reported, "As part of a collaboration between Bitcoin ATM and LibertyX, Bitcoin ATMs are being installed in over 600 Costco stores across the United States." Bitcoin ATMs are expected to serve as an alternative route for the public to enter the cryptocurrency market, bolstering the momentum for large-scale adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Global messenger application Telegram has announced that third-party cryptocurrency wallets operating on its messenger must adopt TON Connect as the sole wallet connection protocol. According to a report by Cointelegraph on the 6th (local time), this announcement by Telegram is part of the TON Foundation-Telegram partnership, through which TON is expected to become the only blockchain network supported by the messenger service. Additionally, mini apps currently operating on other blockchains must migrate to TON by February 21. After the migration period ends, third-party wallets that have not adopted TON Connect will not be supported.

There is a forecast that a strong demand shock could occur if the U.S. government holds Bitcoin (BTC) as a strategic reserve asset. According to The Block on the 6th (local time), Catalin Tihushauser, head of investment research at Sygnum, stated, "Every time the U.S. strategic Bitcoin holdings increase by $1 billion, the market capitalization of Bitcoin is expected to increase by more than $20 billion due to the multiplier effect." He added, "The liquid supply of Bitcoin is very small. If a potential demand shock occurs, it will lead to a tremendous ripple effect."

The decentralized finance (DeFi) focused Layer 1, Berachain BERA, is debuting on the global market tonight at 10 PM. According to a report by CoinDesk on the 6th (local time), Berachain's initial supply is 500 million BERA, with 48.9% allocated to community participation responsible for airdrops, ecosystem development, research, and more. The airdrop distribution includes testnet users, social media participants, and other community members, and the token allocation details can be viewed on the Berachain Airdrop Checker. Currently, Berachain is valued at approximately $8 in the pre-launch market. Based on the pre-launch valuation, the airdrop's value is expected to be around $632 million, with a market capitalization nearing $4 billion. The Berachain mainnet will be unveiled today, and trading will be supported on domestic and international exchanges such as Binance, Upbit, and Bithumb starting at 10 PM.