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

According to on-chain analyst Yu Jin’s monitoring, the whale that opened roughly $187 million in high-leverage long positions on the early morning two days ago, betting on a rebound, has had some of its positions liquidated. The whale’s long position of 4,890 ETH, valued at around $11.74 million, was liquidated at $2,356 during today’s 5 AM early morning dip. This liquidation price exactly matches the low point of ETH’s recent early morning flash price pin, and this liquidation may have helped drive the formation of that low.

Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and Morgan Stanley all viewed tokenization as a business growth opportunity during their third-quarter earnings calls, though none provided specific revenue projections for the sector. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon noted that tokenization, decentralized finance (DeFi), and prediction markets could drive more products, trading activity, new clients, and distribution channels. The bank is exploring expanded use of Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) tokenization services to cut costs, automate trades, and enhance the efficiency of asset transactions, though its related business remains small for now. Wells Fargo has already leveraged tokenized deposits to process cross-border payments, with funds reaching recipient accounts in as little as two minutes, though transaction volumes remain low at present. Wells Fargo CFO Michael Santomassimo stated that the technology could help the bank expand its cross-border payment business without building out an extensive network of international branches. The bank is also exploring tokenized securities, real-world assets (RWA), and crypto trading services for wealth management clients, though it has not announced a launch timeline. Morgan Stanley CFO Sharon Yeshaya noted that tokenization can speed up and simplify asset transfers, though clients still require investment advice. The bank views the space as a new business opportunity, and did not announce any new products during the calls.

NFT project Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) has officially launched Mudwater, a Solana-based series of physical and digital collectible trading cards. The project has also airdropped 6551 Totems paired with all BAYC and MAYC NFTs, which are used to claim card packs. Holders of each BAYC NFT can claim 10 packs, while each MAYC NFT entitles holders to 2 packs. Each pack includes 10 cards, each box holds 24 packs, with a total of 10,000 boxes in the series. The collection comprises 120 artworks, with rare variants including flash cards, numbered cards, and ice crack rare cards; 8 of these ice crack cards are 1/1 unique editions. Physical cards are printed by Orange Cap Games using its Orange Core paper. 2.5% of every transaction will be used to purchase APE tokens, distributed proportionally to collectors holding Mudwater series assets. Totems, card packs, and cards are now tradable on OpenSea, with plans to add support for upgrading card packs to full boxes and cases in the future.

According to monitoring by Onchain Lens, two whale wallets dormant for 12 to 13 years have transferred a combined 416.6941 BTC (valued at approximately $33.82 million) to the same address. Specifically, the wallet dormant for 13 years sent out 167.8402 BTC worth around $13.62 million, while the 12-year-dormant wallet transferred 248.8539 BTC valued at roughly $20.20 million. The original value of these BTC was about $105,400, marking an increase of approximately $33.71 million from their initial worth.

According to Iran's Press TV, Iranian Foreign Minister Alagzi announced that Tehran has put forward a seven-day specific plan aimed at restoring normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, with the next steps now in the hands of the United States. Speaking at the 52nd Council of Foreign Ministers meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Baghdad on Saturday, Alagzi stated that Iran has submitted the proposal via Qatar. If necessary conditions are met, Iran is ready to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume normal maritime passage within seven days. Alagzi noted that Iran remains committed to ensuring navigation security in the strategic waterway, adding that the disruption to maritime traffic stems from military aggression by the United States and Israel, as well as subsequent restrictive measures imposed by Washington. “Security cannot be restored by repeating the same actions,” he said. “One cannot bomb a country, threaten to destroy it entirely, impose a blockade, and then expect navigation security to return to normal.” According to Alagzi, maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz recovered to around 60% of pre-conflict levels within two weeks, but subsequent U.S. measures and military operations hindered the implementation of the relevant agreement.

Solana Foundation Chair Lily Liu posted on X that the first Capital Markets Summit was held Thursday in Shanghai, China, where hundreds of asset allocators and builders from China and around the world gathered to discuss innovative capital formation. Liu also noted that the market capitalization of listed companies in China is only one-sixth that of comparable profitable firms in New York, with over 50,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) waiting for IPO opportunities in the domestic market. Earlier reports indicate that Shanghai Yaokun Qiusuo Digital Technology Co., Ltd. was registered in August with a registered capital of RMB 10 million, and Shanghai Solana Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. holds a 45% stake in Yaokun Qiusuo Digital. Even Jiang, co-head of Solana Foundation China, serves as Yaokun Qiusuo’s chairman, while Du Yanjing is a director. Public information shows Yaokun Qiusuo’s main business covers technical services, development, consulting, exchange, transfer and promotion; computer system services; information system integration; IT consulting; data processing; internet data services; IoT technology services; wholesale of computer software, hardware and auxiliary equipment; information consulting (excluding licensed consulting services); enterprise management consulting; financial consulting; conference and exhibition services (overseas exhibitions require approval from relevant authorities). It should be emphasized that "Solana" is a name adopted by a sole proprietorship, and there is currently no equity evidence linking these two companies to the Solana Foundation.