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

On May 8, Mantle token holders approved a credit line of up to 30,000 ETH (roughly $68 million) for Aave DAO via Proposal MIP-34. The move aims to address potential defaults stemming from the April rsETH exploit on Aave V3, with estimated default amounts ranging from $123.7 million to $230.1 million. The proposal passed a seven-day Snapshot vote, authorizing the Mantle Foundation to negotiate with Aave DAO and execute the final loan agreement. Implementation of the credit line remains contingent on Aave executing its recovery plan and finalizing specific terms. A Galaxy Research report noted the rsETH exploit left Aave’s WETH market in prolonged tension, with fund utilization rates above 99% for 12.7 consecutive days. As of May 8, utilization in Aave’s Ethereum V3 WETH market has dropped to around 91.6%, easing market pressure.

On May 8th, Bitget market data shows pre-market trading for crypto-related U.S. stocks was mixed. The storage sector rebounded in pre-market trading after yesterday’s decline, with the following moves: ### Crypto-Related Stocks - **Coinbase (COIN): Down 2.67%** The firm reported a Q1 net loss of $394 million this morning, with total revenue falling to $1.41 billion. Its platform also suffered an outage lasting over 7 hours shortly after its earnings release. - **MicroStrategy (MSTR): Up 0.49%** - **Circle (CRCL): Up 0.42%** - **MARA Holdings (MARA): Up 0.1%** - **Riot Blockchain (RIOT): Down 0.5%** - **BitMine Immersion (BMNR): Up 0.14%** - **SharpLink Gaming (SBET): Down 0.5%** ### Storage Sector - **Seagate Technology (STX): Up 1.23%** - **Western Digital (WDC): Up 1.47%** - **SanDisk (SNDK): Up 1.83%** - **Micron Technology (MU): Up 2.52%**

May 8 — As Australia’s cryptocurrency regulation reforms officially take effect, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) announced today it has launched two regulatory actions targeting the virtual asset industry. AUSTRAC said in a social media post it is engaging with dozens of crypto businesses and exchanges, focusing on how they manage anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) risks and prepare for the upcoming reforms. The actions primarily target over-the-counter (OTC) trading platforms and local exchanges. The new laws expand the regulatory scope to include custody and brokerage services. This reform marks a further strengthening of Australia’s regulatory framework for the crypto sector, with the goal of boosting industry compliance standards and reducing financial crime risks.

On May 8, per LookOnChain monitoring data, a whale has taken long positions on multiple popular crypto tokens, with the following breakdown: - 3.08M NEAR (~$4.83M) - 75.55M STRK (~$4.3M) - 9,561 XMR (~$3.8M) - 1.28M TON (~$3.33M) - 14.86M AZTEC (~$357K) - 71.99M PUMP (~$147K)

May 8 – Analyst Murphy noted that while the market is fixated on Bitcoin’s $60,000 price low, on-chain chip structure analysis suggests the crypto’s true bottom foundation may lie in the dense turnover zone around $66,000. Data shows ~440,000 BTC has accumulated in this area, with 240,000 BTC traded between February and April. Currently, the $65,000-$78,000 range holds 13.8% of Bitcoin’s chip distribution—still below the 18.7% level seen before the October 2022 FTX flash crash. But traditional funds (including ETFs and MicroStrategy) have locked up ~13% of circulating supply at relatively high levels, giving the current ratio a solid base for a bottom structure. A double retracement and further turnover in this range would strengthen the bottom’s “downward resilience.” Murphy emphasized the true bottom shouldn’t be tied to the $60,000 low, but rather the $66,000 turnover zone where large funds entered. Turnover in the $78,000-$82,000 range remains insufficient, and the mark