By Shikha Singh
TRUMP Spot Trading Volume Hits $38 bn Across Exchanges Within 5 Days.
The official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin, launched on January 17, has been highly successful, recording $38 billion in total trading volume across exchanges in five days.
Binance led spot trading activity with $16 billion. The token, created on the Solana blockchain with 200 million TRUMP in circulation (set to reach 1 billion in three years), saw its market cap peak at nearly $15 billion, making it the second-largest meme coin after Dogecoin.
TRUMP’s price surged from $0 to $72 in under 48 hours before correcting to $35.88, still up 450% from its $7 price on January 18. Melania Trump’s launch of MELANIA, a competing coin, has caused its market cap to decline to $7.18 billion.
Ethereum Achieves 17x Scaling with Layer 2, but Challenges Persist, Says Buterin.
Vitalik Buterin discussed the evolution of Layer 2 protocols, which have scaled Ethereum’s transaction capacity by 17x, lowered fees, and secured billions in value. Despite this progress, challenges persist, including limited blob space for data storage and a fragmented Layer 2 ecosystem that complicates interoperability and user experience.
To address these issues, Buterin proposed scaling Ethereum’s Layer 1 by improving blob space, expanding the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), and increasing gas limits. On Layer 2, he called for stronger security, seamless interoperability, and a unified user experience across chains.
Buterin also emphasized cementing ETH as a “triple-point asset” by making it the primary asset across Ethereum, incentivizing Layer 2s to contribute fees to the ecosystem, and exploring revenue streams like increased blob counts. His vision is to make Ethereum a cohesive and scalable blockchain for the future.
Ethereum Open Interest Hits Record High.
Ethereum’s futures market open interest has soared from $4 billion in October 2023 to $21.6 billion in January 2025, signaling heightened trading activity and strong long-side strategies. However, Ethereum’s price remains stable at $3,303.15, showing a disconnect from futures market growth, fueling speculation of imminent price volatility.
Whale activity has surged, with 1.14 million ETH accumulated in 48 hours, alongside increased institutional participation. Analysts predict a significant price move if Ethereum breaks key resistance levels, as high open interest often triggers liquidation-driven price swings. Traders await decisive market shifts.
Fake Ross Ulbricht Accounts Used in New Malware Campaign.
Ross Ulbricht, creator of the Silk Road, was pardoned by Donald Trump and recently released after serving nearly a decade for operating the dark web marketplace. His release has sparked a malware campaign exploiting his name. Cybercriminals use fake verified accounts on X to lure users to Telegram channels, where they are tricked into running malicious PowerShell scripts disguised as verification processes. These scripts download malware, including a suspected Cobalt Strike loader, enabling data theft or ransomware attacks.
Ulbricht was sentenced to life without parole in 2015 for charges including drug trafficking and money laundering, with his appeals denied until his recent pardon.
Ripple Demands April 16 Deadline for Cross-Appeal Brief vs. SEC.
Ripple Labs has requested an April 16, 2025, deadline to file its cross-appeal brief in its legal battle with the SEC over the classification of XRP sales. The SEC, appealing a 2023 ruling, argues that XRP sales to retail investors should be classified as securities.
The 2023 court decision partially favored Ripple, ruling that XRP retail sales were not securities, but institutional sales violated securities laws, resulting in Ripple paying $125 million in penalties. Ripple’s cross-appeal aims to uphold the earlier ruling.
Observers speculate whether the SEC will continue its appeal amid growing scrutiny of its crypto regulatory approach. This case continues to play a crucial role in shaping the treatment of digital assets under U.S. securities laws.
Pump.fun Sets Single-Day Revenue Record, Raking in $15.5 mn in Fees Following Anniversary.
Pump.fun, a platform for “sentiment-based virtual currencies,” has revolutionized memecoins since its launch on Solana in January 2024. It became the fastest crypto app to generate $100 million in revenue within 217 days and recently hit a single-day revenue record of $15.38 million on January 24, 2025, driven by the hype around Vine Coin. Elon Musk’s potential revival of the Vine brand led the memecoin to briefly reach a $425 million market cap.
Over the past two weeks, Pump.fun has seen $4 billion in trading volume and is nearing 2.5 million SOL tokens in total volume. However, its rise has also drawn legal scrutiny from investors who incurred losses, while competition from Solana DEX aggregator Jupiter’s acquisition of Moonshot poses a potential challenge to its dominance.
Crypto Czar David Sacks Pushes for Clearer Rules on NFTs and Meme Coins as Collectibles.
White House advisor David Sacks argued that NFTs and meme coins should not be classified as securities or commodities but rather as collectibles, similar to stamps or baseball cards.
In a January 24 interview, he emphasized the sentimental value behind these digital assets, citing examples like the Donald Trump-themed meme coin. Sacks believes clearer regulatory definitions could revitalize the U.S. crypto industry, which has faced uncertainty under previous administrations.
He praised President Trump’s creation of a crypto task force aimed at making the U.S. a global leader in digital assets, with the goal of providing clarity on classifications like securities, commodities, and collectibles.
NFT Sales Surge to $198 mn, Azuki Sales Soar 107% in a Week.
The NFT market continues to rise despite fluctuating crypto prices, with NFT sales volume reaching $198.1 million, up 22.44% from last week.
NFT buyers and sellers grew substantially, with buyers increasing by 62.09% to 447,099 and sellers rising by 44.53% to 319,002. Ethereum NFT sales surged 41.56% to $116.2 million, while Bitcoin NFT sales declined 7.82% to $25.5 million.
Azuki saw a significant 106% sales increase, while Milady Maker posted a massive 891.32% surge. Top sales for the week included CryptoPunks #6472 for 225 ETH and Azuki #6649 for 165.83 ETH.
Atari Partners with DYLI to Launch Limited-Edition NFT Collectibles.
Atari has launched a collection of 500 exclusive, physically redeemable NFTs in partnership with DYLI, a blockchain-based collectibles platform.
The collection features limited-edition collectible patches celebrating Atari’s gaming history. Each $15 pack contains a surprise patch, either a new design or a vintage one from the 1980s.
Some buyers may also receive bonus items like gift cards or a collectible signed by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell.
The NFTs will be available on DYLI’s platform, operating on the Abstract Chain, an Ethereum layer-2 solution. This release marks another step in Atari’s ongoing integration of blockchain technology, following previous Web3 initiatives.
OpenAI Releases AI Agent “Operator”.
OpenAI has launched “Operator,” an AI agent that can perform tasks on the internet for users. It can browse web pages, type text, click buttons, scroll, and fill out forms, helping save time on repetitive tasks like ordering groceries or booking hotels. Powered by the new Computer-Using Agent (CUA) model, Operator uses GPT-4’s screen-reading ability and reinforcement learning to perform human-like actions with a mouse and keyboard. It’s currently available for ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the U.S. for $200, and OpenAI plans to expand access based on user feedback. The tool, still in development, requests user confirmation before completing sensitive tasks like bookings or sending emails.
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