The popular AI framework Virtuals Protocol will host an in-person meet-up in Hong Kong on Friday, January 17.

**March 3 – Strait of Hormuz in Global Economic Spotlight Amid Iran Tensions** Tensions in Iran and Middle East retaliatory actions have thrust the Strait of Hormuz back into the global economic spotlight. Analysts warn even partial or temporary oil supply disruptions could hit the global economy hard—with a prolonged closure risking a "certain recession." Bob McNally, founder of Rapidan Energy Group and former Bush administration energy advisor, said: *“A prolonged Strait of Hormuz closure would send the global economy into a certain recession.”* U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) data shows: - 20% of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade will pass through the strait by 2024; - 38% of the world’s oil supply flows through the waterway; - Saudi Arabia alone will ship ~5.5 million barrels of oil per day via the strait in 2024. Alternative pipelines across the Arabian Peninsula have limited capacity, so they can’t offset a full closure. Even without an Ir

March 3 – OpenClaw has removed content related to the "Key Recommended Venice Model" from its official documentation, per data from the company’s official document pages. Meanwhile, OpenClaw founder Peter Steinberger clarified in a post earlier today: "This was an oversight in a prior document, and we intend to remain neutral on the issue."

**March 3rd — According to the Coinbob Popular Address Monitor (https://t.me/Coinbob_track_CN), the ETH whale wallet (0xa5b...1d41) has accumulated 400 BTC ($27.33M worth) in long positions over the past 7 hours, with an average entry price of $68,425. The position is currently down $26,000.** **Additionally, the address holds 70,000 ETH in long positions (valued at $140M), which is currently up $130.** **Background: This whale built a billion-dollar-scale ETH long position late last year, closed it fully in February 2024, and held ~60,000 ETH at the time. Since then, it has re-entered the market, sticking to its signature style of high-volume buying at peaks, selling at lows, and swing trading.**

Asian-listed digital asset firm MemeStrategy (HKEX:2440) has launched the world’s first tokenized Pokémon Trophy Card fund, available exclusively to professional investors. Tokenized ownership in the fund is facilitated via licensed alternative asset digital platform EVIDENT Platform Services Limited, with the goal of creating an institutional-grade investment channel for the trophy card market. The fund will focus on PSA 10-graded “Van Gogh Pikachu” (Pikachu with Grey Felt Hat) cards—jointly released by The Pokémon Company and the Van Gogh Museum, inspired by Van Gogh’s *Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat*, and a limited-edition item. MemeStrategy disclosed there are roughly 47,000 PSA 10-graded copies of the card, with a total estimated market value exceeding $94 million. The fund targets acquiring approximately 25% of the available PSA 10-graded cards on the market. Citing market data, MemeStrategy noted the global collectibles market is projected to hit $6.28 trillion by 2031, wh

March 3rd: A Matrixport-linked whale address, per Lookonchain data, holds a $241M long position in 12k Ethereum and has opened a new 20x leveraged long position in 400 Bitcoin, valued at ~$27.3M.

On March 3, Binance announced it will support the Polygon (POL) network upgrade and hard fork. Per the schedule, Binance will suspend deposits and withdrawals for Polygon network tokens starting at 13:00 UTC on March 4, 2026, to facilitate the upgrade and ensure a smooth user experience. The network upgrade and hard fork are expected to occur at block height 83,756,500—around 14:00 UTC on the same date. The announcement notes trading of related Polygon network tokens will not be affected, and the platform will address all technical issues for users during the upgrade. Once the upgraded network is deemed stable, deposit and withdrawal services will resume automatically; no further notice will be issued.