# Monetization Related Articles

HTX News Center provides the latest articles and in-depth analysis on "Monetization", covering market trends, project updates, tech developments, and regulatory policies in the crypto industry.

Why Coinbase Will Be the Biggest Winner in the AI Financial Era?

Coinbase is poised to be a major winner in the AI finance era, transforming from a cyclical crypto exchange into a foundational layer for AI-native finance. The market undervalues its exposure to two key secular trends: the rise of stablecoins and the emergence of agentic commerce. Firstly, with the global stablecoin supply projected to reach $3 trillion by 2030, Coinbase benefits as the dominant, most compliant distributor of USDC. Its revenue-sharing agreement with Circle is structurally advantageous and durable, positioning Coinbase to capture significant value from stablecoin growth independent of crypto trading volumes. Secondly, in agentic commerce—where AI agents autonomously transact—Coinbase's technology stack is already dominant. Over 92% of real agent payments occur on its Base network, settled primarily in USDC via the x402 protocol it helped develop. This stack creates a powerful, self-reinforcing ecosystem across four layers: USDC for settlement, Base for execution, developer tools (CDP/AgentKit), and service discovery (Agentic.Market). Key revenue streams include USDC reserve interest, Base sequencer fees, and platform fees from its infrastructure and marketplace. By 2030, agent-related revenue could contribute billions annually. Supported by favorable regulatory tailwinds like the CLARITY Act, Coinbase's valuation should reflect its role as critical financial infrastructure, not just a brokerage, with a clear path to becoming a $300 billion company.

链捕手05/08 14:51

Why Coinbase Will Be the Biggest Winner in the AI Financial Era?

链捕手05/08 14:51

Open-Source Plugin Ignites Underlying AI Model Warfare: Behind Claude-mem's Explosive Popularity Lies Big AI Companies' Best-Kept Profit Secret

The open-source plugin "Claude-mem" has ignited a hidden war in the AI industry by tackling a critical weakness in large language models: their lack of memory. This tool, which exploded in popularity on GitHub, works by locally storing and compressing conversation history, slashing redundant token usage by up to 95%. This directly undercuts the "context tax"—the costly practice of repeatedly sending historical data to the cloud with each new interaction. Its integration with another tool, OpenClaw, enabled users to exploit a pricing loophole, using low-cost personal subscriptions to run high-frequency automated tasks meant for expensive enterprise API plans. In response, Anthropic banned third-party OAuth access, triggering a backlash and even a major service outage. Despite the crackdown, Claude-mem’s founder circumvented traditional monetization by launching a cryptocurrency, $CMEM, on the Solana network. The episode highlights key tensions in the AI industry: the fight over pricing models, the value of local memory control, and the risks of building on proprietary platforms. The battle over AI’s future is being waged in the code.

marsbit04/20 00:20

Open-Source Plugin Ignites Underlying AI Model Warfare: Behind Claude-mem's Explosive Popularity Lies Big AI Companies' Best-Kept Profit Secret

marsbit04/20 00:20

Don't Say There's Nothing to Do in a Bear Market, These Four Types of Smart People Are Already Quietly Making Money

In a crypto market filled with noise and unproductive debates, opportunities still exist for those who adapt to the new meta. While past trends like Play-to-Earn, Move-to-Earn, and airdrop farming have faded, four current pathways offer real earnings: 1. **X Platform Monetization**: Verified creators can earn $500–$2,000 monthly through X’s revenue-sharing program based on impressions from Premium users. 2. **Ambassador Programs**: Structured programs from projects like Alchemy Pay and Injective offer monthly stable payments (e.g., 200 USDT base) and performance bonuses for community contributions. 3. **Discord Moderators**: Managing Discord servers by answering questions, handling tickets, and banning scammers provides a steady income. 4. **Developer Programs**: Coders can earn through builder initiatives, bounties, and grants. Examples include Zama’s program with 15,000 cUSDT in prizes, Arc’s Architects plan rewarding contributions, and Ink’s grants up to 200,000 USDC for dApp development. The key insight is that opportunities shift with each market phase—from gaming and walking to clicking and now building. Success requires self-assessment: leverage your skills in content creation, community management, or coding instead of waiting for outdated trends. The bear market rewards those who engage actively with their strengths.

marsbit04/16 10:25

Don't Say There's Nothing to Do in a Bear Market, These Four Types of Smart People Are Already Quietly Making Money

marsbit04/16 10:25

OpenClaw Gold Rush: The Shovel Sellers Never Anxious

OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework, has sparked a massive wave of commercialization in China, creating a lucrative industry built on user anxiety and the desire to adopt cutting-edge technology. While the software itself is free, a full ecosystem has emerged to monetize the complexity of its deployment and operation. Hardware manufacturers, including former crypto mining machine producers, now sell specialized OpenClaw-optimized devices, with some like iPollo's Claw PC retailing for $439. Others offer white-label OEM solutions, capitalizing on users' unwillingness to configure standard hardware like Mac Minis. A significant market has also emerged for discounted API tokens required to run OpenClaw. Many providers offer heavily discounted, and sometimes fraudulent, access to models like Claude or GPT. Research indicates nearly half of these third-party APIs are deceptive, often substituting expensive models with cheaper, local alternatives. Beyond the markup, the core business for some token resellers is collecting high-quality user prompts and responses to sell as valuable training data to large model companies. Furthermore, a service industry thrives on information asymmetry. Consultants travel nationwide to install and configure OpenClaw for small business owners, charging thousands per installation. An extreme example is RoofClaw in the US, which ships pre-configured MacBooks to roofing contractors for $5,000 each, generating over $1.8 million in revenue. The model has become so popular that major platforms like Meituan and JD.com now offer remote deployment services. The article concludes that the real winners are not those developing the technology but the "shovel sellers"—those providing the tools, services, and infrastructure to ease adoption. They profit not from technological advancement itself, but from the consistent and predictable human fear of being left behind.

marsbit03/11 12:08

OpenClaw Gold Rush: The Shovel Sellers Never Anxious

marsbit03/11 12:08

Behind the OpenClaw Gold Rush: The Shovel Sellers Never Worry, Only the Miners Do

OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent framework, has sparked a frenzy in China, creating a wave of anxiety among users while a complete industry profits from it. The article reveals how various players are monetizing this trend: hardware manufacturers, like former crypto mining rig producers, are selling pre-configured “OpenClaw-optimized” devices; API resellers are offering discounted—and sometimes fraudulent—access to model tokens, with some making millions monthly by secretly swapping premium models for cheaper ones or collecting valuable user data; and service providers are capitalizing on information asymmetry, offering installation, customization, and industry-specific packages, with some earning over $1.8 million. The core insight is that, much like historical gold rushes, the real profits are not made by the “miners” (end-users) but by the “shovel sellers” (those providing tools and services), who exploit consistent human anxiety and the fear of being left behind.

比推03/11 11:44

Behind the OpenClaw Gold Rush: The Shovel Sellers Never Worry, Only the Miners Do

比推03/11 11:44

Crypto declines by $1.16T while AI raises $140B – Examining this divide

The cryptocurrency market has experienced a significant downturn, with a total market capitalization decline of approximately $1.16 trillion over the past six months, reflecting reduced investor risk appetite. In contrast, the artificial intelligence sector has attracted substantial investment, raising around $140 billion since February 2026, led by companies like OpenAI and Anthropic. This highlights a stark disparity between traditional AI funding and AI-related crypto tokens, which have a combined valuation of only $15 billion. Public interest in AI has consistently outpaced cryptocurrency searches since 2021, marking the widest divergence in nearly five years. However, this increased attention has not translated into sustained gains for AI tokens, which remain closely tied to broader crypto market cycles rather than AI-specific developments. According to Maria Carola, CEO of StealthEX, this disconnect indicates a monetization gap, with most AI investment currently targeting infrastructure development rather than tokenized ecosystems. While AI tokens like Fetch.ai and Virtual Protocol have historically followed crypto market trends, some analysts believe they could benefit later as decentralized AI applications mature. For now, their performance depends heavily on overall crypto market sentiment, and a sustained recovery in digital assets may be necessary for significant AI token growth.

ambcrypto03/11 04:03

Crypto declines by $1.16T while AI raises $140B – Examining this divide

ambcrypto03/11 04:03

Your AI Anxiety Is Being Harvested

The article critiques the excessive hype and anxiety surrounding AI, arguing that much of the online discourse is a form of fear-based marketing designed to harvest attention and engagement. It points out that blindly copying others' AI setups—like popular coding configurations—is ineffective because these are tailored to specific needs and contexts, not universal solutions. The author warns against over-reliance on AI, noting that it can erode independent thinking and core human skills like judgment, creativity, and time management. Citing data from Fortune, Goldman Sachs, and academic studies, the article reveals that many companies report no actual productivity gains from AI adoption; instead, it often intensifies workloads and leads to burnout. The key takeaway is to use AI strategically for repetitive tasks while preserving human strengths for critical thinking and decision-making. True success lies not in using AI everywhere, but in knowing when not to use it.

marsbit03/10 08:39

Your AI Anxiety Is Being Harvested

marsbit03/10 08:39

X Tightens Promotion Rules: Is the Wild West Era of Crypto Twitter Marketing Over?

X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, is systematically tightening its rules on promotional content and automated activity, particularly targeting the crypto community. Over the past five months, it has implemented six major policy changes. These include removing 1.7 million spam bots, banning "InfoFi" applications that reward users for posting, cracking down on accounts using automation/AI, and introducing a mandatory "Paid Promotion" disclosure label for sponsored content. It has specifically prohibited undisclosed ads for prediction markets and restricted automated API replies. These actions dismantle key, previously free, marketing channels for crypto: incentivized posting, undisclosed influencer promotions, and automated engagement. Consequently, user acquisition costs are expected to rise as organic reach diminishes. The platform is simultaneously favoring paid advertising, having relaxed its policies for crypto ads in many regions. This shift forces a recalibration of the crypto influencer economy, moving from hidden endorsements to transparent, performance-based advertising. While this may lead to a cleaner information environment for users, it signals the end of an era of unregulated "wild" marketing on the platform, making visibility a paid privilege.

marsbit02/25 08:41

X Tightens Promotion Rules: Is the Wild West Era of Crypto Twitter Marketing Over?

marsbit02/25 08:41

While Everyone Is Selling Software Stocks, HSBC Says You're Wrong

Amid a severe selloff in software stocks dubbed the "SaaSpocalypse" in early 2026, HSBC’s U.S. tech research head Stephen Bersey published a contrarian report titled "Software Will Eat AI." He argues that the market’s fear—that AI agents will replace traditional enterprise software—is a misjudgment. Instead, Bersey contends that AI will be absorbed into existing software platforms, becoming an embedded capability rather than a disruptor. Key points from the report include: - AI lacks the depth to replace complex enterprise systems due to training data limitations and inability to replicate decades of proprietary business logic. - "Vibe coding" and AI-native approaches overestimate the ability to rebuild reliable, large-scale enterprise software from scratch. - High switching costs and trust in incumbent software providers create durable barriers. Bersey believes software companies with deep data moats and AI integration capabilities—such as Oracle, Microsoft, Salesforce, and ServiceNow—are well-positioned to monetize AI through task-based agents operating within software-defined boundaries. He sees 2026 as the year AI monetization scales within software, driven by inference demand, not training. HSBC recommends buying select software stocks while downgrading others like IBM and Palo Alto Networks, emphasizing that not all will benefit equally. The core thesis: software is the vehicle through which AI delivers scalable, governed enterprise value—not its replacement.

marsbit02/25 02:51

While Everyone Is Selling Software Stocks, HSBC Says You're Wrong

marsbit02/25 02:51

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