What Happened in the Web3 World This Week?

Donald Trump's statement expressing openness to the idea of establishing reserves in US-based cryptocurrencies received a positive reaction in cryptocurrency markets.

Sony Launches Ethereum-Based Soneium Blockchain

Sony has officially launched Soneium, an Ethereum-based layer-2 solution, announcing over 15 million active wallets on the platform. The network aims to protect creators' intellectual property rights and bridge the gap between Web2 and Web3, while also offering incubation programs for NFT-based projects.

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Eric Trump Reveals His Personal Crypto Portfolio

Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, disclosed that he holds four cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and SUI. Highlighting his father’s ambition to turn the US into a global crypto hub, Eric criticized the Biden administration and Gary Gensler for waging a war against the crypto sector.

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Italy’s Leading Bank Intesa Sanpaolo Buys Bitcoin

Intesa Sanpaolo, one of Italy's largest banks, officially announced the purchase of 11 Bitcoins for €1 million. The investment came to light following a leaked email.

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Crypto Transactions Hit Record High in December

Total trading volume on centralized exchanges reached a record $11.3 trillion in December. Binance led the market with $946 billion in spot trading volume, marking a 0.13% increase, followed by Bybit and Coinbase, which saw respective increases of 18.8% and 9.62%.

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Trump's US-Based Crypto Move: XRP and Solana Surge

Donald Trump expressed support for the idea of establishing reserves in US-based coins like XRP, Solana, and USDC ahead of his presidential campaign. Following this statement, Solana rose by 10%, and XRP gained 17%, further strengthening their upward momentum.

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Phantom Wallet Secures $150M Investment at $3B Valuation

Crypto wallet Phantom raised $150 million in a Series C funding round led by Sequoia Capital and Paradigm, achieving a $3 billion valuation. With 15 million active users, Phantom plans to use the funds to enhance social discovery features and facilitate peer-to-peer payments.

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Swiss State Bank PostFinance Launches ETH Staking Service

Switzerland's state-controlled bank, PostFinance, now offers its 2.7 million customers the ability to stake Ethereum with a minimum of 0.1 ETH. The bank provides an integrated service, allowing users to receive staking rewards directly on the Ethereum blockchain.

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