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

Etherscan has officially launched a new AI-focused tool suite that enables developers and agents to directly access the same reliable on-chain data available on the Etherscan platform. Covering more than 60 EVM-compatible chains, the suite delivers structured, certified real-time data access for AI agents through three channels: MCP, CLI, and Skills. Specifically, Etherscan MCP supports mainstream programming agents such as Claude and Codex to query on-chain information using natural language; the CLI tool outputs clean JSON, table, or CSV results in the terminal and features an interactive interface; the Skills module integrates specialized capabilities including Orchestrator, contract review, transaction debugging, and process orchestration, helping agents efficiently tackle complex tasks. Etherscan noted that these tools are designed to lower the barrier for AI to interact with blockchain data, with developers able to get started quickly by referencing the official documentation, and the platform also welcomes user feedback on usage experiences or sharing innovative applications built with these tools.

According to Fox News, US President Trump stated that the United States will respond to Iran's attack on US military forces.

According to Reuters, NVIDIA (NVDA.O) has deepened its long-term partnership with MediaTek to jointly build an artificial intelligence (AI) edge-to-cloud computing platform. NVIDIA will invest $3.5 billion in convertible bonds issued by MediaTek.

Bitmine added 53,501 Ether to its holdings last week, marking 65 consecutive weeks of weekly purchases. As of August 30, 2026, the firm’s total Ether holdings reached 5,901,112, accounting for approximately 4.9% of Ethereum’s total supply.

Germany’s inflation rate has edged higher, further reinforcing the European Central Bank’s (ECB) case for another interest rate hike next month. Consumer prices rose 2.9% year-on-year in August, up from the prior month’s 2.8% increase, hitting the highest level since April but below analysts’ median forecast of 3.1%. With a Middle East peace deal still nowhere in sight, energy prices have once again become a key driver of inflation, while service and food prices have cooled. Earlier data from France and Spain also showed that rising oil and gas prices are pushing up inflation across the region, adding to pressure on the ECB to act. ECB officials have already raised interest rates once, and are widely expected to hike again on September 10. Traders are betting that monetary policy will be tightened further next year.

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin is currently trading at $78,492. Strategy’s Bitcoin holdings are now sitting on an unrealized profit of over $2.602 billion. As previously reported, Strategy holds 845,050 Bitcoins in total, with a combined purchase cost of $63.73 billion, averaging $75,412 per coin.