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

As of January 31, per GMGN market data (link: https://gmgn.ai/base/token/i_m4TE56o8_0xb695559b26bb2c9703ef1935c37aeae9526bab07), the Base ecosystem meme coin MOLT has surged to a new all-time high market cap of $62 million. Current reported market cap stands at $54.46 million, with a 24-hour gain of 5910%. BlockBeats Note: Meme coins are highly volatile, driven heavily by market sentiment and hype, with no inherent value or use case. Investors should be aware of associated risks.

On the morning of January 31, Binance founder CZ hosted an English AMA at Binance Square to address recent FUD targeting Binance from the community. Below are BlockBeats’ key takeaways from CZ’s remarks: - Trump’s tariff announcement sparked a market downturn on October 11. This was not caused by any issues with Binance’s system or actions taken by Binance. Binance does not trade to profit from buying/selling cryptocurrencies, so it did not dump assets to intentionally suppress prices. The so-called “Bitcoin price manipulation” would require taking on hundreds of billions of dollars in risk—and no entity globally has that capacity. Binance is currently regulated and cannot engage in any violations. - Forbes reporting a $920 billion net worth does not mean I have that much cash on hand. I have not cashed out any company stock personally, nor sold cryptocurrency for fiat. I believe fiat depreciates long-term, so I prefer holding Bitcoin, BNB, and similar assets. - Some claim a s

On Jan. 31, Trump said the U.S. is sending more naval vessels to areas near Iran. He noted Iran should strike a deal, adding that if it doesn’t, “we’ll see what happens.”

On January 31, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) said in an AMA response: “I believe Bitcoin is far superior to gold, but we have to acknowledge Bitcoin is still a nascent technology with relatively low adoption. Right now, gold’s market value is roughly 10x that of Bitcoin—meaning at least 10x more people are familiar with or hold gold. That’s why gold is more easily accepted in over 10x as many locations worldwide today—purely because of familiarity. Take AI for example: I might think artificial intelligence is a great tech that can handle all kinds of work, but that doesn’t mean AI can do everything right now, does it? There’s a time factor at play here.”

On January 31, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) addressed recent market FUD during an AMA, sharing his take on negative discourse: Repeatedly bashing a name or platform actually acts as free PR—driving more exposure. When people hear “Binance” over and over, whether they’re new to crypto or seasoned players, the idea that Binance is the industry’s largest, leading platform sticks firmly in their minds. Claims that Binance can “cause X” or “manipulate Y” make the exchange seem so powerful it becomes the only platform users feel they need to watch. Many non-Binance users, curious, will likely sign up to check it out themselves. CZ cited his Twitter followers as proof: For nearly a full year, his follower count barely grew—likely because Twitter’s algorithm keeps cleaning out bot accounts (a good thing, he noted). But lately, follower growth has suddenly picked up, spiking pretty quickly. Most companies don’t fear negative attacks (people have their own judgment), he said—they

January 31 – Per Bitget market data, spot silver has plummeted 20% intraday, last trading at $92.19 per ounce.