Indepth Research

Provide in-depth research reports and independent analysis, leveraging data, technology, and economic insights to deliver a comprehensive examination of the blockchain ecosystem, project potential, and market trends.

Inside Ethereum network’s efforts to become settlement layer for all AI activities

Etherean is solidifying its position as the dominant DeFi hub, evidenced by massive and growing stablecoin volumes, including a $7 billion monthly increase. A strategic shift is underway with USDC supply growing 10% to over $52 billion, partly driven by Circle's AI-focused Nanopayments that enable near-free transactions. This growth, combined with entities like BitMine making massive ETH stakes and strategic investments in AI-linked assets, positions Ethereum to potentially become the primary settlement layer for the emerging AI-driven economy.

ambcrypto03/22 04:01

Inside Ethereum network’s efforts to become settlement layer for all AI activities

ambcrypto03/22 04:01

ZANO targets $17 after 73% surge – Should traders wait for a dip?

ZANO experienced a significant 73% price surge in a week after testing its long-term demand zone at $5.5-$6.0. While the weekly chart suggests a potential rally toward the range highs at $17.2 over the next few months, short-term indicators show signs of overextension. The 4-hour chart reveals a divergence in OBV and an overbought MFI, indicating a possible retracement. Traders may find a buying opportunity if the price dips to the $8.1-$9.2 support region, a high-volume node that could serve as a consolidation area. A drop below $8.1 wouldn't invalidate the bullish weekly structure but could offer a better entry point for long positions.

ambcrypto03/22 03:02

ZANO targets $17 after 73% surge – Should traders wait for a dip?

ambcrypto03/22 03:02

CertiK Test: How the Vulnerable OpenClaw Skill Bypassed Review and Took Over Computers Without Authorization

CertiK's latest research reveals critical security vulnerabilities in OpenClaw's third-party Skill ecosystem. Despite OpenClaw's three-layer review system—including VirusTotal scanning, static code analysis, and AI logic checks—malicious Skills can easily bypass these safeguards. CertiK demonstrated this by developing a seemingly benign "test-web-searcher" Skill that contained a hidden remote code execution vulnerability. It was approved without warnings, allowing unauthorized command execution on the host machine (e.g., launching system calculators via Telegram commands). The core issue is the industry’s overreliance on pre-release scans rather than runtime isolation and strict permission controls. Unlike iOS’s mandatory sandboxing, OpenClaw’s sandbox is optional and often disabled by users for functionality, leaving systems exposed. CertiK urges developers to enforce mandatory sandboxing and granular permissions for Skills, and advises users to deploy OpenClaw on isolated devices away from sensitive data or assets. The study underscores that scanning alone cannot secure high-permission AI agents; runtime isolation and damage containment are essential for safety.

marsbit03/22 02:03

CertiK Test: How the Vulnerable OpenClaw Skill Bypassed Review and Took Over Computers Without Authorization

marsbit03/22 02:03

The Migration of Settlement Power: B18 and the Institutional Starting Point of On-Chain Banking

The article "The Migration of Settlement Power: B18 and the Institutional Starting Point of On-Chain Banking" discusses how traditional finance relies on settlement—not just transactions—to determine ownership of funds. While transactions are instantaneous, settlement requires time, counterparties, and system confirmation, during which users do not fully control their funds. In contrast, early DeFi (decentralized finance) focused on trading and liquidity while avoiding the fundamental question of who defines settlement in the absence of banks. B18, built on Coinbase’s on-chain infrastructure and operating on Base, aims to address this gap by transforming blockchain into a system that handles time, accounting, clearing order, and finality—functions traditionally managed by banks. B18 is not a typical DeFi protocol but an attempt to decouple banking from institutions and encode it into executable rules. Its capital structure reflects this ambition, with support from Paradigm and Wintermute Ventures at the protocol level, GSR Capital for market liquidity, FuturePay for real-world payment integration, and Base Ecosystem Fund builders who design the rules for fund recording, profit recognition, and liquidation conditions. Together, these layers form a new on-chain financial order where code, not institutions, governs settlement—shifting the power dynamics of finance. B18 represents the starting point of this migration. (Note: This is a submitted article and does not represent the views of ChainCatcher or constitute investment advice.)

marsbit03/21 11:22

Solana stalls despite $1.8B RWA growth – Where is SOL’s liquidity going?

Despite Solana (SOL) struggling to break the $100 psychological level, its ecosystem is experiencing significant liquidity movement, particularly in the real-world asset (RWA) sector. Solana's RWA total value locked (TVL) has surged nearly 64% this year, reaching a new all-time high of over $1.8 billion. Additionally, active DeFi TVL within Solana's RWA sector hit a record $465 million, indicating that capital is actively being used in lending, staking, and liquidity pools rather than sitting idle. This growth is further amplified by Ondo Finance's strategic expansion, adding over 50 tokenized assets—including stocks and ETFs like Galaxy Digital and BlackRock’s IBIT—bringing its total listings on Solana to more than 250. This move positions Solana as a major DeFi hub for tokenized assets, highlighting a disconnect between its stagnant price action and robust on-chain fundamentals. The data suggests that liquidity isn't exiting the market but is instead being redirected into RWA-related DeFi activities on Solana.

ambcrypto03/21 04:26

Solana stalls despite $1.8B RWA growth – Where is SOL’s liquidity going?

ambcrypto03/21 04:26

Earning Millions Daily in a Sluggish Market: Is Pump.fun's Revenue Real?

Despite a perceived market downturn, pump.fun remains a top revenue-generating crypto-native application, ranking fourth in earnings behind only Tether, Circle, and Hyperliquid across various timeframes. Its daily income consistently exceeds one million USD, derived from three primary sources: a 0.95% protocol fee on bonding curve transactions, a token’s "graduation" fees on Pumpswap, and revenue from its acquired multi-chain trading platform, Terminal (formerly Padre). On-chain analysis confirms the bonding curve revenue is authentic, with no evidence of fake transfers or data manipulation. However, questions arise about the organic nature of this activity. While Solana’s daily active addresses range between 1.2-2.2 million, pump.fun sees about 150,000, with roughly 30,000 new tokens deployed daily. Data suggests a significant portion of tokens are launched by a small group of sophisticated deployers, not organic users. Moreover, research indicates that 98.6% of tokens on pump.fun are pump-and-dump schemes, turning the platform into a low-cost, high-efficiency "casino" where deployers profit at the expense of retail investors. Despite pump.fun using nearly all its income to buy back its native token, $PUMP, the price continues to fall due to a lack of buyer confidence and organic demand. The fundamental issue is not revenue authenticity but the platform's role in facilitating a predatory ecosystem, making it unattractive to long-term institutional investment.

marsbit03/21 03:18

Earning Millions Daily in a Sluggish Market: Is Pump.fun's Revenue Real?

marsbit03/21 03:18

Stablecoin supply nears $318B: Fresh inflows or just capital rotation?

Stablecoin supply is approaching $318 billion, signaling a period of controlled expansion. While fresh capital is entering through fiat on-ramps, a significant portion of this growth reflects internal capital rotation into yield-bearing and regulated assets rather than entirely new inflows. Tether (USDT) continues to dominate the market, though its growth has slowed, while others like USDC and USDS are expanding more rapidly. This liquidity is increasingly being actively deployed, evidenced by rising DEX volumes and exchange inflows. However, the market remains split between genuine capital inflows and internal redistribution, with a large share of stablecoins still held on exchanges.

ambcrypto03/20 19:51

Stablecoin supply nears $318B: Fresh inflows or just capital rotation?

ambcrypto03/20 19:51

Top 7 staking platforms of March 2026

Staking allows users to earn rewards by holding cryptocurrencies using the Proof-of-Stake mechanism. It can be done through centralized (CeFi) or decentralized (DeFi) platforms. The top staking platforms include Rocket Pool (ETH staking with rETH tokens), Gate.io (CeFi and DeFi options), Bitfinex (soft staking with no fees), Nexo (flexible staking with high security), eToro (user-friendly with CopyTrader), Gemini (regulated with Basic and Pro options), and SushiSwap (DeFi staking with governance rights). Staking offers passive income and supports blockchain networks, but users should research platforms based on their needs.

ambcrypto03/20 16:53

ambcrypto03/20 16:53

Tencent's 2026 Financial Report: A Comprehensive Analysis of Steady Growth, AI Strategic Leap, and Long-term Logic Reshaping

Tencent's 2026 financial report reveals a year of robust growth, with revenue reaching 751.8 billion RMB (up 13.9% YoY) and net profit of 224.8 billion RMB (up 15.8% YoY). The company demonstrated strong performance across its three core segments: Value-Added Services (primarily gaming), Online Advertising, and FinTech & Business Services. A key highlight is the strategic pivot toward AI as a central growth driver. Tencent is heavily investing in its proprietary Hunyuan AI model and significantly increasing capital expenditure, particularly in computing infrastructure like GPUs. AI is being deeply integrated across its ecosystem—enhancing ad targeting efficiency, enabling intelligent NPCs in games, and upgrading cloud and enterprise solutions. While this shift may pressure short-term profitability due to increased investments, it positions Tencent for long-term transformation from an “internet giant” to an “AI-driven ecosystem.” The company is also restructuring its talent base, hiring technical experts to support this transition. In summary, Tencent is balancing steady core business performance with ambitious AI-driven growth, aiming to evolve from “connecting everything” to “powering everything with intelligence.”

marsbit03/20 15:17

Tencent's 2026 Financial Report: A Comprehensive Analysis of Steady Growth, AI Strategic Leap, and Long-term Logic Reshaping

marsbit03/20 15:17

From Singapore to Solana: Rebalancing Efficiency, Prosperity, and Cost

"From Singapore to Solana: Rebalancing Efficiency, Prosperity, and Cost" explores the governance of blockchain ecosystems through the lens of nation-building, drawing parallels between Singapore’s historical development and Solana’s evolution as a public blockchain. The article begins by comparing Singapore’s sudden independence in 1965 to Solana’s crisis following the collapse of FTX in 2022—both faced existential threats but leveraged unique advantages to survive. Singapore relied on its strategic geographic location, while Solana capitalized on its high throughput and low transaction costs. It traces Solana’s early dependence on FTX—akin to Singapore’s reliance on British military spending—and examines how both entities navigated periods of "grey" economic activity. For Solana, the meme coin boom (e.g., Bonk, WIF) served a similar role as Singapore’s early tolerance of ambiguous capital flows: attracting users, testing infrastructure, and sustaining economic activity during a downturn. The piece also analyzes token economics as monetary policy, comparing Singapore’s managed exchange rate system to Solana’s emission and burn mechanisms. It argues that dynamic, responsive monetary governance—rather than fixed tokenomics—is essential for long-term stability. Finally, it discusses community alignment using Singapore’s public housing system (HDB) as a model for incentivizing stakeholder commitment. Solana’s challenge is to unify diverse groups—speculators, developers, validators—by aligning their interests with the chain’s success. The conclusion emphasizes that blockchain competition is ultimately about governance: short-term narratives, mid-term technology, but long-term institutional and economic design. Solana, like Singapore, must transition from survival to sustainable, value-driven growth.

比推03/20 06:48