Sonic Labs has launched a new points program to drive DeFi growth and reward users. 

The S&P 500 gained 0.11%, led by utilities, financials, and materials, as lighter inflation eased yields. Focus shifts to December's inflation report and financial earnings. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was up by 3.03%, with Bitcoin and Ether rising by 3.14%  and 3.24%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is A8, which surged 29.7% following the launch of Ancient8 SuperApp V3, an all-in-one platform for simplified Web3 management.

Ancient8 (A8), founded in 2021, is a gaming-focused Ethereum Layer 2 network using Optimism and Celestia to enable fast, affordable EVM game development with community-driven developer support. 

, a streamlined platform for managing Web3 activities. It combines staking, token swapping, liquidity management, an NFT marketplace, cross-chain asset bridging, and game discovery into a single user-friendly interface. The app simplifies processes, enhances security, and helps users maximize the potential of their digital assets, catering to both newcomers and experienced users.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

 a new points program to drive DeFi growth and reward users. The program includes three types of points: Passive Points for holding whitelisted assets, Activity Points for deploying assets as liquidity on apps, and App Points (Sonic Gems) for developers to distribute as rewards via their apps. The initiative also features an airdrop of 200 million S tokens and incorporates Rings, a yield-bearing stablecoin protocol that provides liquidity to DeFi apps. Sonic's points program offers a dynamic way for users and developers to enhance their DeFi experience while contributing to the growth of the platform.

Yesterday, the BTC Spot ETF data showed a total flow of $9.7 million, with $0.0 million from GBTC and $9.7 million from non-GBTC sources.

, offering participants a chance to receive tokens as part of the platform's decentralization journey. The airdrop rewards key contributors, including early adopters, active community members, and global partners. Registration is open until January 18, 2025, and participants can claim tokens before the Token Generation Event (TGE) in Q1 2025. Plume's mission is to build a unified onchain economy that connects real-world assets with crypto, and the airdrop is the first step toward that vision. More details and eligibility information can be found on their official website.

Beginner

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Sonic Labs Launches Innovative Points Program to Drive DeFi Growth and Reward Users

GAME by Virtuals (GAME) is a leading AI agent development framework enabling quick creation and deployment of autonomous agents for web3, gaming, and social media.

Few people will argue with the notion that 

 (AI) is the fastest-growing sector in the world of business. This also applies to the 

 industry. Within the broader AI field, however, there's one area that particularly stands out with its growth rates — the niche of 

. Self-contained, autonomous AI workers are growing increasingly popular on blockchains, with leading AI agent cryptocurrencies posting head-spinning price increases.

 (VIRTUAL) and several tokens related to the platform, including GAME by Virtuals (GAME). Leveraging the underlying Virtuals Protocol, GAME is a development framework that lets developers quickly build and deploy autonomous AI agents suitable for various transactional environments. The GAME framework allows AI agents to make complex decisions based on the information supplied, lifting the overall sophistication of such agents to an entirely new level.

Launched in October 2024, the GAME token has appreciated over 3,000% as of January 2025, entering the list of the top 10 AI agent cryptocurrencies by market cap.

 (GAME) is an AI agent development framework powered by the Virtuals Protocol. 

It lets developers quickly build modular, autonomous AI agents and deploy them to various environments, such as gaming, entertainment and social media platforms.

At the core level, GAME is supported by the Virtuals Protocol, a decentralized platform on the 

 Layer 2 chain that’s designed to power tokenized, co-owned AI agents with revenue-generating capabilities. Virtuals Protocol provides an environment for tokenizing and using AI agents for various use cases.

GAME by Virtuals supports low-code, efficient creation and management of AI agents that can easily be plugged into various web3 platforms and even interact in real time with other agents. By default, AI agents developed using the GAME framework are deployed as X (formerly Twitter) agents. In this capacity, they can serve varied purposes for crypto users and 

 (DApp) operators. This could include community building, market monitoring, news and trading signal aggregation, data collection and even API-based integration with external trading platforms.

Thanks to the framework's modular design, a GAME-based agent can include different functions that are easily plugged into and out of it. Additionally, GAME allows developers to create non–X AI agents from scratch to integrate into other environments, such as blockchain games, messaging networks like Telegram and other types of applications. In essence, the programming tool kit provided by GAME allows developers to specify sophisticated agent characteristics and autonomous behavior. For example, GAME-based autonomous agents might operate in gaming, virtual reality (VR) and virtual world applications, providing immersive experiences and carrying out complex tasks.

The development of X-based agents via GAME is a simplified process. Developers can utilize an Agent Sandbox, a test environment provided by the Virtuals Protocol, to specify the key characteristics of their AI agent on X. This is a streamlined way to quickly and efficiently launch a basic social media agent without having to create an agent token. 

After deploying the agent to X, developers can easily add or remove its functionalities to adapt the agent to their specific use cases.

For applications beyond X, developers can build an agent from scratch using the GAME framework's programming functions. In the project's terminology, this is called GAME-as-a-Service. Within this mode, the agent's decision-making rules and characteristics are specified via API calls. For those familiar with AI-based programming, GAME-as-a-Service provides a more powerful and flexible way to build AI agents, with high levels of functional sophistication, as compared to the Agent Sandbox.

To build and launch an AI agent, developers must specify three categories of attributes that define their agent’s behavior and autonomous decision-making: Agent Definition Prompts, High Level Planner (HLP) Context and Low Level Planner (HLP) Context.

— These include the agent’s goal, character card and world information. In essence, this trio of attributes determines the agent’s overall behavior, memory traits, personality, background, tweeting style and the specifics of its virtual environment.

— This high-level tool establishes the input information to provide a dynamic context for the agent's decisions.

— This is a set of instructions for the agent’s expected outputs to execute various actions and functions within its environment.

To build and deploy agents via GAME-as-a-Service, you’re expected to be familiar with technologies like JavaScript and JSON. The Virtuals platform also provides an agent-building software development kit (SDK) in Python.

The GAME by Virtuals framework’s associated crypto token is also known as GAME. As of early January 2025, the project has provided scant information regarding the token’s utility beyond its basic supply specifications. In general, AI agents launched via Virtuals Protocol are monetized using project-specific tokens. Thus, it’s expected that agents built via the GAME framework are monetized using the GAME token, and that the GAME token might also support additional use cases in the future.

For each token on the Virtuals Protocol, including GAME, there’s a corresponding liquidity pool in which each token is paired with VIRTUAL, the protocol’s native cryptocurrency. This facilitates monetization and trading opportunities for AI agents built using the framework.

The GAME token was launched on Oct 26, 2024 and features a maximum, total and circulating supply of 1 billion. Similar to VIRTUAL and other platform-specific tokens on the Virtuals Protocol, GAME has been issued on the Base blockchain.

You can buy the GAME token on Bybit’s Spot market as a trading pair (

Additionally, through Jan 23, 2025, 9AM UTC, you can take advantage of Bybit's campaign dedicated to the GAME token to grab a share of the 

. New users who complete basic identity verification can earn GAME rewards by accumulating a deposit volume of at least 500 GAME, or depositing at least 100 USDT and trading 100 USDT worth of GAME via their first trade using their Bybit account. Existing users can also qualify for rewards by trading at least 500 USDT worth of GAME on Bybit’s Spot market. The more you trade, the larger your share of the prize pool. 

As of Jan 15, 2025, the GAME token is trading at $0.1922, which is 51% lower than its ATH of $0.3918 on Jan 2, 2025, and 7,190% higher than its ATL of $0.002634 on Nov 20, 2024.

Long-term price forecasts for GAME are mostly bullish.DigitalCoinPrice 

 of $0.65 in 2027 and $0.99 in 2030, whileCoinCodex 

 at around $0.202 in 2027, and rise to $0.629 in 2030.

GAME isn't the only AI agent token on Virtuals Protocol. The protocol supports a variety of applications and use cases that focus on AI agent technology, each of which may have its own token. Excluding the main platform-wide cryptocurrency, VIRTUAL, the leading tokens within the protocol's ecosystem include 

As of Jan 14, 2025, GAME is the second-highest-ranked token in the Virtuals ecosystem by market cap, behind AIXBT, the token of the AI agent-based market intelligence solution AIXBT. However, if ranked by 

 (TVL), GAME is actually the top token on the protocol, with a current TVL of $24.85 million.

GAME by Virtuals is a convenient tool for blockchain developers to launch powerful AI agents — intelligent objects that can perform diverse functions on social media platforms, gaming environments and within a wide variety of other applications. Its framework makes it easy to create X-based agents, and for other platforms and more sophisticated needs a skilled developer has numerous functions and utilities within GAME to play with.

The crypto market also seems impressed with GAME by Virtuals, judging by the GAME token's early performance. As the AI sector, particularly its AI agent niche, continues to flourish and capture the business world's attention, the GAME framework is likely to find more use cases and eager adopters in the AI developer community.

Advanced

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GAME by Virtuals (GAME): Your Gateway to Advanced AI Agent Development

Bitcoin liquid staking is a DeFi mechanism that enables BTC holders to earn passive yields. Learn more about how it works in this article.

The rise of Bitcoin liquid staking marks a significant evolution in cryptocurrency yield generation. At the core of this innovation is Babylon, a non-custodial infrastructure that serves as the foundation for Bitcoin liquid staking protocols like Lombard and pSTAKE. By building on Babylon, these protocols enable BTC holders to earn staking rewards while maintaining liquidity, BTC holders to earn rewards while retaining their assets’ liquidity, bridging the gap between Bitcoin's store-of-value proposition and yield opportunities within 

This article explores how Bitcoin liquid staking works, examines its advantages and risks, and considers whether it’s worth trying. We also analyze the leading Bitcoin liquid staking platforms driving adoption in this rapidly growing ecosystem.

Bitcoin liquid staking is a DeFi mechanism that enables BTC holders to earn passive yields by participating in 

 (PoS) networks and receive tradable tokens that maintain their Bitcoin's liquidity and utility in the broader DeFi ecosystem.

Liquid staking protocols open new yield-bearing opportunities in the Bitcoin ecosystem. While Ethereum liquid staking generates yields through network validation rewards, Bitcoin liquid staking creates returns by securing other blockchain networks, and through 

 that expand the utility of BTC beyond its primary function as a store of value.

Bitcoin liquid staking operates through a straightforward process that bridges traditional Bitcoin holding with DeFi functionality. When users stake their Bitcoin, they interact with specialized DeFi protocols that generate yield while maintaining liquidity.

First, users deposit their Bitcoin into a liquid staking protocol, where it's securely stored using various methods, which can include multi-signature wallets or other security mechanisms depending on the platform.

Users begin by depositing their Bitcoin into their chosen liquid staking protocol, which secures deposits through various methods like 

 or other security mechanisms. In return, they receive 

 (LSTs) representing their staked BTC on a 1:1 basis.

These LSTs can be used across various DeFi applications while the underlying Bitcoin works to secure PoS networks through protocols such as 

. The staking rewards are generated through point systems, protocol incentives or network fees, depending upon the specific Bitcoin liquid staking platform used.

, users' staked Bitcoin helps secure their networks. Rewards are typically distributed daily through the protocol's native tokens, which users can claim while holding their LST positions.

The unstaking process is equally straightforward — users can redeem their LSTs for their original Bitcoin whenever they choose, subject to any applicable unbonding periods or protocol-specific conditions.

Bitcoin liquid staking offers unique opportunities for yield generation, but it comes with its own set of risks that investors should carefully evaluate.

The Bitcoin liquid staking landscape offers diverse options for BTC holders seeking yield opportunities. Following are the top platforms.

Lombard transforms Bitcoin into a yield-generating asset through its LBTC token on Ethereum, with over $1.5 billion in 

 (TVL). The protocol integrates with established DeFi platforms like Morpho, Pendle and Symbiotic, enabling LBTC holders to access lending, borrowing and 

 opportunities. A 5% fee applies to staking rewards.

Following a successful private beta that attracted $230 million from over 4,000 institutional and individual users, Lombard has entered its public beta. Lombard maintains strict security standards through regular audits and a self-custodial model, ensuring LBTC remains fully backed by Bitcoin at a 1:1 ratio.

Recently launched by the Core Foundation, LstBTC is an 

 blockchain. The protocol enables daily rewards in CORE tokens through a dual staking model, whereby users can stake both Bitcoin and CORE tokens for enhanced yields.

Since its launch in April 2024, Core has attracted over 5,500 BTC (around $500 million) in staked assets and built a comprehensive 

 ecosystem. The protocol leverages Bitcoin 

 power for security, with about 55% of miners contributing to network stability.

 integration, allowing users to earn rewards from Layer 2 activity. The protocol converts deposited BTC into stBTC tokens for DeFi applications, enabling its users to earn daily Lightning Network routing fees without managing node infrastructure.

With over 105 active channels and the capacity to process over 18,000 

 (TPS), Stroom Network is secured by established validators, such as P2P.org and Allnodes. Stroom' 

 structure and multisig system ensure decentralized governance while managing Lightning Network integrations.

Babylon is an infrastructure protocol that enables Bitcoin holders to secure PoS networks through BTC staking without requiring 

 or third-party custody. The protocol has accumulated nearly 24,000 BTC in its ecosystem since launching in 2024.

Babylon’s platform prioritizes security through its innovative timestamping protocol, and partnerships with established validators like P2P.org. Though offering more conservative yields than competitors, Babylon's self-custodial model and robust security features have attracted institutional users seeking to put their Bitcoin to work while they maintain control of their assets.

 simplifies BTC yields through Bitcoin staking on Babylon's infrastructure. With over $35M in TVL, the platform offers two core offerings: a fixed-yield earn product (similar to Bybit Earn) accessible to all users and a Bitcoin LST, called YBTC, that offers tailored Bitcoin yield solutions to institutions.

Users can earn staking rewards from Bitcoin-secured networks by staking native BTC through 

. YBTC, a yield-bearing ERC-20 token on Ethereum backed 1:1 by BTC, connects with BNB Chain, Corn, B Squared, and Bitlayer through LayerZero integration.

Institutions can use YBTC in the BTCfi ecosystem to generate additional yields from DeFi protocols focused on restaking, yield farming, and more. PSTAKE — the protocol's incentivization, governance, and staking token — trades on exchanges like Bybit and can be staked on the Base L2 chain to earn Bitcoin rewards for participating in protocol and community activities.

Bitcoin liquid staking is worth considering if you:

Before participating, investors should carefully evaluate platform security, understand the technical aspects of liquid staking and assess their 

. Additionally, smart contract vulnerabilities and LST price fluctuations present real risks that need to be considered against potential rewards.

Choose a platform that aligns with your expertise level and goals. Established protocols like pSTAKE suit experienced DeFi users, while newer participants might prefer user-friendly platforms, such as Core's LstBTC. Start with smaller amounts of assets to familiarize yourself with the mechanics before committing significant capital.

Bitcoin liquid staking represents a significant evolution in Bitcoin's utility, offering holders new ways to earn yields while participating in the broader DeFi ecosystem. While the technology and protocols are still being developed, growing market adoption and continued innovation suggest a promising future for the Bitcoin liquid staking sector.

Intermediate

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Bitcoin Liquid Staking: New Yield Opportunities for BTC Holders

BlackRock has launched the iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) on Cboe Canada, offering Canadian investors access to Bitcoin through brokerage accounts.

The S&P 500 rose 0.16% as focus shifts to inflation data and earnings reports from major banks. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 0.16%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 1.14%  and 4.65%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is AAVE, which surged 4.3% after the announcement of Aave and GHO's expansion across networks for broader integration.

Aave (AAVE), founded in 2017, is a decentralized lending platform on Ethereum for lending, borrowing, and earning interest on 17 cryptocurrencies. It uses smart contracts, collateral for loans, and aTokens for interest, along with features like instant loans. Aave is 

 to multiple networks, with ARFCs passed for Linea, Celo, and World Liberty Finance, while Sonic, Mantle, BOB, and Rootstock are in earlier stages. GHO stablecoin is also growing, with expansions to Avalanche and Base already approved. Aave and GHO aim for widespread integration.

 the iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) on Cboe Canada, offering Canadian investors access to Bitcoin through brokerage accounts. The ETF mirrors Bitcoin's price performance by investing in the U.S. iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, which holds long-term Bitcoin assets. This launch highlights BlackRock’s focus on innovation and simplifying Bitcoin exposure by addressing operational and custody complexities. Cboe Canada, known for pioneering financial products, emphasizes its role in expanding the crypto ecosystem. IBIT and IBIT.U join seven other iShares ETFs on Cboe Canada, enabling investors to trade via standard investment channels.

Yesterday, BTC Spot ETFs experienced outflows totaling $313.6M, including $89M from GBTC and $224.6M from non-GBTC sources.

 its governance token, $ANIME, in January 2025 with a total supply of 10 billion (7.69 billion initially circulating). Community allocation is 50.5%, including 2% for Hyperliquid stakers, Kaito yappers, and Arbitrum users. Completing Azuki's points tasks might help with eligibility for the airdrop.

BlackRock Launches iShares Bitcoin ETF on Cboe Canada for Simplified Crypto Access

GameFi

Explainers

Altcoins

BlockGames is a cross-game player network with cross-chain capabilities. Learn more about how this platform works in this article.

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 framework to make games more accessible and rewarding. However, many players are still wary of unfamiliar gaming systems. BlockGames is a crypto project that hopes to solve this issue by designing a convenient user interface that works for people, no matter what level of gaming skills they have. Read on to learn more about the BlockGames system and its plan to make web3 gaming easier.

 is a cross-game player network with cross-chain capabilities. It provides players with a Universal Player Profile they can use to access a variety of different web3 gaming products on the BlockGames website and app.

, a U.K. businessman who formerly worked at Nike. Baltramiejūnas previously created and ran a real estate company for online rentals, but in 2022 his focus turned to the blockchain ecosystem. He partnered with mobile game studio 

 to create a new system that would offer the perfect blend of convenience and innovation.

The BlockGames company is inspired by the growing interest in 

 gaming and free-to-play games. It hopes to create a gaming framework that appeals to both users and game developers. Though the company is still in the early stages of designing its system, it's proud to be the first cross-game, cross-chain player network.

BlockGames aims to tackle two common problems in the modern web3 gaming industry. First of all, it aspires to introduce web3 games to traditional players. By putting a variety of web3 games behind a simple interface and a unified player account, BlockGames plans to make it easier for players to explore different games.

Its other main goal is to improve marketing for game developers. BlockGames noticed that there were a lot of great games that were struggling simply because they couldn't attract enough players. The BlockGames ecosystem will create a collection of enthusiastic players that any developer can access, with the hope of making marketing a lot easier for game developers.

 to provide cross-chain capabilities. Through the BlockGames network, users can enjoy gaming experiences on multiple chains. This is possible thanks to a mechanism called soulbound tokens (

). SBTs are Ethereum tokens that are non-transferable, non-fungible and linked to a specific person. They essentially function as 

, but since they’re non-transferable, they cannot be bought or sold.

BlockGames issues each player a BlockGames ID that's made up of SBTs. The Universal Player Profile can hold player data, records and achievements. Each ID allows its holder to connect to the games within the BlockGames universe, and the SBTs keep track of things such as player wallets and attributes so players have full and irrevocable control over their gaming identities.

The BlockGames cross-game player network offers a lot of rewarding gaming experiences. Here are some features people can expect when they try the BlockGames app.

 are premium NFTs minted from the BlockGames treasury. Users who hold them receive early access to the BlockGames Player Network, and they also offer enhanced airdrop eligibility. During weekly rounds of point scoring, DICE holders get more points for the airdrop in the future. Staking DICE offers another way for owners to earn more rewards.

The BlockGames Player Network is the heart of the ecosystem. By creating a BlockGames ID, users obtain an individualized account that accesses a variety of games. You can use this account to get instant rewards, earn social points and try out games. This network isn't fully launched yet, but select people can invite friends and try it out.

The BlockGames Airdrop is a program to help generate interest in the network. Anyone can sign up for the airdrop and start receiving instant rewards. You earn more points if, for example, you invite friends and comment on social media. The 

 offers particularly significant rewards for social points that people can get by interacting with other posts on X (formerly Twitter) and the BlockGames forum. You can also receive pace points for the airdrop by participating in weekly rounds of gaming on the app.

The Lucky Rolls campaign is linked to both the BlockGames Airdrop and the DICE NFT launch. DICE owners get Lucky Rolls that provide more early access to BLOCK purchases. Lucky Rolls social points are also available through giveaways and contests on the Discord server.

In the past two years, BlockGames has managed to create and launch an early access testnet on which users can sign up for a BlockGames ID and play games on a mobile BlockGames app. There are 

 in the BlockGames system, which has also successfully collaborated with app developers such as TokyoBeast. With its pace points and social points, the airdrop system has helped BlockGames rapidly gain over 600,000 followers on X.

BlockGames is currently focused on promoting its new BLOCK crypto token. In addition to running several airdrop programs, it also hopes to host a community presale and a token generation event. There are plans to move the BlockGames app from alpha to beta version at some point, but BlockGames hasn't provided much information on when this will happen.

As the native utility token of BlockGames, BLOCK performs many services. It's used to reward developers who create games, and to incentivize players to improve their gaming skills. It's also the governance token for the BlockGames Player Network. BLOCK has a 

, to be distributed according to the following plan:

While the BlockGames project sounds interesting in theory, its lack of information has some crypto investors concerned. The BlockGames ecosystem has spent almost all of its time promoting its token, yet it hasn’t released a white paper or even explained how its infrastructure works. In addition to these red flags that could indicate a 

, there have also been some user complaints about the BlockGames app. Many reviews of the early access app mention that users have 

, and there aren't many games available. Therefore, investors looking into BLOCK 

However, even if the BlockGames product isn't able to refine its technology and distinguish itself from its competitors, its crypto token could still prove popular. The ecosystem does have a lot of followers on X, Discord and other types of social media, which could lead to a lot of interest in the token. Especially in the first few days after the token launch, BLOCK might be a nice choice for investors who have money to spare and like high-risk, high-reward tokens.

Ultimately, whether or not BLOCK is likely to have long-term success will depend upon BlockGames' ability to attract more game developers and refine its user interface. Though they’re still works in progress, BlockGames and BLOCK are backed by some intriguing ideas on how to handle player accounts and crypto games. If the ecosystem can further improve its ideas, it has the potential to become a valuable part of the web3 gaming landscape.

BlockGames (BLOCK): Powering the World's Best Player Network

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards