RaaS #584: Trove Delays Token Launch Mid-Drama!

Google Bans Crypto Apps, Reply Guys Lose Income, And Moar!

Trove Markets has delayed its TROVE token launch yet again, following a pivot from Hyperliquid to Solana, citing refunds and a liquidity partner unwind. The team sold 500K HYPE tokens, triggering backlash and accusations of a bait-and-switch, while ZachXBT flagged suspicious fund flows, including a $45K casino deposit from the angel round. Refunds are on the table, but questions about transparency are piling up quickly.

Polygon Labs laid off roughly 60 employees as part of a major reorganization, shifting focus toward a payments-first strategy built around AggLayer and CDK. The move signals tighter cost control as infra teams race to stay relevant in a crowded modular stack.

A whale lost roughly $292M after attackers impersonated Trezor support and tricked the victim into revealing their seed phrase. Stolen funds included 2.05M LTC and 1,459 BTC, most of which were swapped into Monero or bridged via THORChain to obscure trails. Only ~$700K has been frozen so far, and ZachXBT dismissed claims of North Korean involvement.

Starting January 28, Google Play will block unregistered overseas crypto exchange apps in South Korea, forcing platforms to register as VASPs with the FIU. Binance and OKX will be affected on mobile, though users can still access services via browsers.

What token is he shilling, chat?

PerpetualCow faced renewed backlash after promoting Fwogdotfun as a “market savior” before his COW token crashed 90% following the launch of FROG. Despite claiming neutrality, critics and on-chain sleuths pointed to a pattern of coordinated hype and dumps.

The crypto market structure bill stalled after Coinbase withdrew support, with Brian Armstrong slamming limits on stablecoin yields as bank-friendly and anti-consumer. Lawmakers and banks pushed back, and negotiations are now ongoing as the Senate vote remains delayed.

Yield Basis launched Hybrid Vaults that link user deposit caps to their contribution to crvUSD peg stability. The model rewards long-term participation while aiming to turn Yield Basis into a non-cyclical revenue engine for Curve.

Your daily dose of bite-sized crypto news.

1. Michael Saylor posted another Bitcoin update, reminding everyone that Strategy is still buying.

2. Acurast teased the upcoming mainnet date on Tuesday, January 20.

3. Genius Terminal released its airdrop and points white paper after announcing that they’re now backed by Yzi Labs and CZ.

4. Ethereum gas fees dropped below $0.01 despite record activity and over 2.8M daily transactions.

5. EthGas unveiled GWEI tokenomics with auto-staked airdrops and long-term governance locks.

X updated its creator monetization rules so impressions gained from replies no longer count toward earnings; only verified home timeline impressions do. Bad news for engagement farmers, good news for everyone else.

 Including, but not limited to.

Top Gainers: DUSK, FHE, SURGE, SCRT, DCR.

High-signal reads are worth your time, all in one place.

1. Apoorav Vyas argues CT’s biggest problem isn’t external bias, but internal sabotage, pointing out how Indian founders are often torn down first by other Indians, driven less by rational skepticism and more by scarcity-driven psychology around success.

2. CryptoUsopp says Web3 marketing has swung back to agencies, noting that after the “yapping” era, budgets are flowing toward established Web3 agencies and direct creator deals instead of experimental growth hacks.

3. JPEG Yakuza pushes back on InfoFi’s obituary, arguing that while leaderboard-driven engagement farming is dead, InfoFi itself will survive by evolving into better data products rather than disappearing entirely.

4. Asif Khan explains why Polygon is quietly winning real adoption, highlighting surging transaction counts, revenue, and token burns as the result of deliberate, payments-focused infrastructure work rather than hype-driven narratives.

5. nobrainflip shares a disciplined airdrop farming framework, emphasizing minimal onchain footprint, wallet separation by risk, and identity-first actions to maximize upside while avoiding unnecessary exposure.

Aster DEX activated Stage 5 of its buyback program, using up to 80% of daily perp fees to repurchase ASTER after the token hit record lows. Traders remain split between seeing it as a floor or the “easiest short.”

Over 16M S tokens from unclaimed airdrops were burned via permissionless smart contracts right at the deadline. The move reduced supply and sparked debate over decentralization, with Sonic Labs responding cheekily with a chicken emoji.

That’s all for today!