The BNB Chain developer team released a statement saying that the goal of BAP (BNB Application Proposals) is to make the application layer more consistent, more interoperable, and lower the development threshold. By sharing standards, the ecosystem can achieve faster development speeds, simpler integration methods, a better developer experience, and reduce one-off implementations. The official introduction states that BAP covers extensions to existing token standards, identity and wallet specifications, off-chain data conventions, dApp/proxy/protocol interfaces, and BNB Chain smart contract best practices. BAP will follow the process defined by BEP-1, including idea discussion, draft submission, community and editorial review, and will ultimately be adopted as an official standard.

A recent survey indicates a shift in capital priorities among senior crypto investors and executives, moving away from decentralized finance (DeFi) towards core infrastructure. According to Cointelegraph, this change is driven by liquidity constraints and market plumbing challenges. The survey, conducted by the digital asset conference CfC St. Moritz, gathered insights from 242 attendees, including institutional investors, founders, C-suite executives, regulators, and family office representatives. The survey revealed that 85% of respondents prioritized infrastructure funding over DeFi, compliance, cybersecurity, and user experience. Despite positive expectations for revenue growth and innovation, liquidity shortages were identified as the industry's most pressing risk. This suggests that while investor interest persists, capital deployment is becoming more selective. Respondents highlighted market depth and settlement capacity as significant barriers preventing larger institutional capital from entering crypto markets. Approximately 84% of participants viewed the macroeconomic environment as favorable for crypto growth, yet many noted that existing market infrastructure is inadequate for large-scale capitalization. The survey also indicated a shift in innovation expectations, with a majority anticipating accelerated innovation by 2026. However, fewer respondents expect a sharp increase compared to the previous year, reflecting a move from speculative expectations to execution-focused development. This trend aligns with the industry's broader focus on custody, clearing, stablecoin infrastructure, and tokenization frameworks, rather than consumer-facing applications. Additionally, the survey highlighted an improvement in perceptions of the U.S. regulatory environment, ranking it as the second-most favorable jurisdiction for digital assets, following the United Arab Emirates. CfC St. Moritz attributed this shift to stablecoin legislation and clearer rules for banks and regulated market participants. Meanwhile, expectations for crypto initial public offerings have cooled after a record year in 2025. While most respondents still anticipate continued listings, fewer expressed high confidence, citing valuation resets and liquidity constraints.

ProShares has unveiled KRYP, marking the debut of the first U.S. ETF that follows the CoinDesk 20 index. According to NS3.AI, this ETF offers investors access to the 20 largest and most liquid cryptocurrencies. The CoinDesk 20 index is weighted by market capitalization, undergoes quarterly rebalancing, and mitigates concentration risks by capping exposure to individual coins. ProShares' initiative aims to provide a streamlined and diversified approach to cryptocurrency investing, responding to the increasing demand for multi-asset exposure.

U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chair Scott expressed confidence that Walsh will be confirmed for the nomination. According to Jin10, Scott anticipates that Republican Senator Tillis will ultimately vote in favor of confirming the nomination. Additionally, Scott stated that he does not believe Powell has committed any wrongdoing.

The U.S. Treasury Department released its quarterly refinancing statement, maintaining the quarterly refinancing amount at $125 billion, a level unchanged since May 2024. The Treasury will auction $42 billion in 10-year notes, $58 billion in 3-year notes, and $25 billion in 30-year notes. (Jinshi)

ProShares announced the listing of KRYP, the first US ETF tracking the CoinDesk 20 Index, providing investors with a one-stop shop for access to the 20 largest and most liquid crypto assets. The CoinDesk 20 Index employs a market capitalization-weighted, quarterly rebalancing mechanism and sets a concentration cap to achieve diversified exposure and limit the risk of concentrated holdings in a single coin. The index selects from the top 250 digital assets by market capitalization, excluding stablecoins, meme coins, privacy coins, and various derivatives or pegged assets. ProShares CEO Michael Sapir stated, “As the crypto market matures, investors are increasingly focused on multi-asset exposure. KRYP allows investors to gain broad exposure to the entire market with just one code.” ProShares already offers 13 crypto-related ETFs and other mutual funds in the US; this launch further enriches its suite of crypto asset investment tools. (CoinDesk)

US-based derivatives exchange Bitnomial announced the launch of the first compliant futures product in the US for Tezos' native token, XTZ, marking the token's official entry into the regulated US derivatives market. XTZ standard futures are currently open for trading to institutional investors, and Bitnomial plans to launch XTZ perpetual futures and options products. Retail investors can participate in related trading through its Botanical retail trading platform. (The Block)

Nasdaq-listed Bitcoin financial services company Fold announced plans to launch a credit card product supporting Bitcoin rewards this year. In addition, the company announced a new unified app experience, integrating Bitcoin rewards, spending, and account activities into a single financial management portal. The new Fold app will reportedly consolidate balances, transaction records, Bitcoin rewards, and spending behavior into a unified interface. (Globenewswire)

Fold, a financial service focused on Bitcoin, has launched a new application designed to integrate Bitcoin rewards with everyday financial transactions. According to NS3.AI, this app aims to offer users a unified platform to earn and utilize Bitcoin rewards more efficiently. This initiative highlights the increasing interest in combining cryptocurrency rewards with routine spending habits.

U.S. businesses added fewer jobs than expected in January, indicating a continued slowdown in the labor market at the start of the year. ADP Research data released Wednesday showed that private sector employment increased by only 22,000 jobs in January, below market expectations, and the previous month's figure was revised downward. Due to the partial federal government shutdown, the release of official data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was delayed, making the ADP data likely the most complete reference for the January labor market this week. Despite some signs of stabilization in recent months, the lower-than-expected increase in private sector employment suggests that the labor market continued to cool in January. ADP data showed that education and healthcare services led hiring growth, while professional/business services saw its largest job decline since June of last year. (Jinshi)

On the Base chain, a native ecosystem of AI agents called OpenClaw is rapidly taking shape.

RWAs, and especially stablecoins, are a result of these assumptions finally being challenged. Same assets. Same laws. Same risks.

A controversial venture capital investment made a decade ago is evolving into one of the most profitable bets in Silicon Valley history.

A16Z, AI Agent, A Brief History of Silicon Valley's Deification: Moltbook, Cyber ​​Mirage, Narrative Industrialization. Golden Finance: In this era, capital is responsible for creating deities, while the public pays the price.

After three years of preparation, Hong Kong's Stablecoin Ordinance has officially come into effect, causing USDT, the world's largest stablecoin, to "evaporate" from the Hong Kong market overnight.

Silicon Valley has changed again! Overnight, tens of thousands of people sold themselves into AI, working for "Skynet".

The cost of a "channel" is never money, but time, credit, relationships, and dignity.

italik appears to have abandoned its previously advocated "Rollup-centric" scaling model.

In the short term, the price of Bitcoin is highly likely to rebound to above $80,000, as the recent sell-off has created one of the largest price gaps in the history of Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) futures.

Binance has converted part of its $1 billion SAFU reserve from stablecoins into Bitcoin, buying an additional 1,315 BTC and bringing the fund’s total to 2,630 BTC. The move comes amid market volatility and insolvency rumours, but Binance says the transfers will not affect Bitcoin’s price.