In today’s edition, we’ll be sharing:

• Kaizen’s Weekly Round-up

• State of the Market

• Trending Projects

• Drop & Harvest

• Final Thoughts

Kaizen Fam, always do your own research. This report is informational and supplemental material to help educate readers as they make their own decisions. Projects mentioned here are provided to give a potential early-mover advantage.

Stay updated with the latest trends and key insights in the crypto market. With an overview of current market conditions, helping you make informed decisions.

1) TETHER’S $775M BET ON RUMBLE SENDS SHARES SOARING 44%

​Tether, the stablecoin titan behind $USDT, just dropped a massive $775 million “strategic investment” into Rumble, the YouTube alternative favored by conservative audiences.

This move sent Rumble’s stock skyrocketing, a dramatic reversal after weeks of declines tied to Fed rate hikes.

Rumble plans to use $250 million of Tether’s cash to fuel growth initiatives, while the rest will fund a self-tender offer for 70 million shares at $7.50 each.

CEO Chris Pavlovski, holding a controlling stake, says the investment aligns with the “freedom, transparency, and decentralization” ethos shared by crypto and free speech advocates.

Tether, flush with $2.5 billion in Q3 profits from rising yields, continues to expand under CEO Paolo Ardoino.

Its portfolio now spans AI, bitcoin mining, and decentralized messaging.

This Rumble deal? Another bold play in its diversification strategy.

2) SECURITIZE PROPOSES BLACKROCK’S BUIDL TOKEN AS BACKING FOR FRAX USD STABLECOIN

​Securitize, BlackRock’s broker-dealer for the BUIDL token, is shaking up DeFi with a bold proposal: integrate the BUIDL token as backing for Frax USD, Frax Finance’s soon-to-be-relaunched stablecoin.

The move aims to merge the safety of traditional finance with DeFi’s innovation.

BUIDL, managing over $530M in short-term U.S. Treasuries, would join other high-quality assets backing Frax USD.

Frax Finance ¤⛓️¤

@fraxfinance

1/ BlackRock Frax
@BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, is proposing to become an enshrined custodian to power Frax USD $frxUSD fiat redeemability.

Read the full proposal posted by BUIDL tokenization provider @Securitize here: gov.frax.finance/t/fip-4xx-buid…

Learn more

The Block

@TheBlock__

Securitize proposes adding BlackRock's BUIDL token as Frax USD stablecoin backing theblock.co/post/332112/se…

525

3:31 PM • Dec 22, 2024

​Frax’s rebrand includes a mint-redeem system allowing KYC-verified users to mint $frxUSD directly with BUIDL.

Early feedback from the Frax DAO? Overwhelmingly positive.

Meanwhile, Frax is exploring partnerships with tokenized fund provider Superstate, which proposed using its $USTB Treasury bills and $USCC fund as additional stablecoin backing.

Both proposals underscore Frax’s commitment to stability and growth.

3) BASE’S TRANSACTIONS SOAR, HITTING OVER 8 MILLION DAILY IN Q4

​Base refuses to slow down, maintaining its momentum through Q4 with over 8 million daily transactions.

This optimistic rollup’s growth is unrivaled, climbing from 500,000 daily transactions in March to a staggering 7.5 million by December.

The network’s ecosystem thrives, fueled by the Virtuals protocol—an AI agent platform driving innovation. Virtuals-related tokens boast a $3 billion combined market cap, cementing Base as a hub for token launches.

​MegaETH recently made waves on Echo, raising $10 million in three minutes—the largest raise on the platform.

Meanwhile, Base’s $3.5 billion total value locked signals sustained confidence despite market volatility.

Looking ahead, Base is scaling with plans to adopt Reth to tackle growing storage needs and long node provisioning times, ensuring its meteoric rise continues.

​Metaplanet made its largest Bitcoin purchase of $60M, boosting holdings to 1,762 $BTC. Dubbed "Asia's MicroStrategy," the firm plans to formalize Bitcoin accumulation as its stock soared 2,100% this year.

​MicroStrategy added 5,262 $BTC for $561M, boosting its holdings to 444,262 $BTC worth $42.2B. The purchase coincides with its inclusion in the Nasdaq 100, with shares trading above $364.

​Montenegro's Constitutional Court rejected Do Kwon’s extradition appeal, upholding his extradition for fraud and financial crimes tied to Terra Luna’s $40B collapse. This marks a key precedent for cross-border accountability in crypto.

​Runes transactions on the Bitcoin network have dropped to 1.67% of daily activity, down from over 50% earlier this year. The decline reflects shifting investor focus, though interest in projects like Runes may rebound with Bitcoin price stabilization.

​Crypto hacks totaled $2.9B in 2024, with CeFi suffering $700M in losses, including major hacks on DMM Bitcoin and WazirX. DeFi losses dropped 40% to $474M, thanks to better security measures like audits and bug bounty programs.

​El Salvador holds 6,000.77 $BTC worth $569M, ranking sixth globally, with a 108% return since adopting Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021. The country plans to replace its state-run Chivo wallet with private-sector options.

ECLIPSE:

​Eclipse shines with its Ethereum-Solana hybrid blockchain, sold-out ASC NFTs, $65M funding, and 60+ dApps. Its NFT marketplace, Scope, and Turbo Tap launch fuel its growth.

AI16Z:

​AI16Z climbs as a $1.4B reserve asset, boosted by its Q1 2025 AI Launchpad, KuCoin listing, and Layer 2 integrations, solidifying its agentic economy role.

HYPERLIQUID:

​Hyperliquid impresses with $1M+ daily revenues, live staking, real-time PnL tracking, and a VC-free model, sparking predictions of a $100 valuation by Q2 2025.

FWOG:

​FWOG thrives after Binance Spotlight recognition, standing out in the art token meta and memecoin space, with optimism despite some doubts.

GOAT:

​GOAT remains a key AI agent player, holding strong despite being 70% off its ATH, with bullish hopes for a rebound.

NILLION:

Mark your calendars for February! The “blind computer” L1 is gearing up for its mainnet launch, with a token generation event to follow. Privacy-first, decentralized computation is the name of the game.

STACKS:

​$sBTC went live on December 17th! You can now deposit $BTC for a 1:1 swap and earn 5% base rewards in $sBTC. Just note: swapping back to $BTC won’t be available until March 2025.

HASHNOTE:

Its $USYC token-backed fund has overtaken BlackRock and Securitize’s BUIDL fund to become the largest tokenized US Treasuries product, thanks to DeFi protocol Usual using $USYC for its $USD0 stablecoin.

PENDLE:

Airdrop incoming! Pendle will snapshot $vePendle token holders on December 31st to determine eligibility.

AXAL:

Unleashed Gekko AI, an autonomous trading agent, on Virtuals. Modeled after Gordon Gekko with a '80s Wall Street tycoon vibe, it’s diving into the crypto markets with swagger.

1) Marginfi’s Fixed Yield Program partners with Sky Ecosystem to offer 40% fixed APY on $USDS.​

2) Cytonic secures $8.3M and launches an airdrop campaign, bridging ETH and SOL ecosystems for participants.

3) Ethena’s $sUSDe is now yielding 10% APY.​

4) Boost your earnings with a 12.4% APY by lending your $USDS on Aave!​

5) Stake your $GHO and earn around 12% APR through Aave!​

Markets are doing their thing—up one minute, down the next, and keeping everyone on their toes.

This choppy ride looks like it’ll stick around until the first or second week of January, so don’t lose your head just yet.

The new year might just bring the clarity (and the action) we’ve been waiting for.

Thanks for taking the time today to read through our newsletter!

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-Kaizen Team