RaaS #594: Solana Launches Agent Hackathon

ZKsync Staking Pilot, Epstein Allegedly Invested in Coinbase, And Moar!

Step Finance suffered a $40M treasury exploit after its executive team’s devices were compromised. $4.7M has been recovered so far. LP activity is paused, STEP token trading is discouraged, and a pre-exploit snapshot is planned as the team works on a path forward.

Based launches V2 mobile app rewrite for iOS and Android, rebuilt from scratch to deliver 2x faster performance, smoother UX, and scalable infrastructure for new product lines. The update improves trading speed on Hyperliquid, prediction markets via Polymarket, and sets the stage for Based’s SuperApp vision: Trade everything, Spend everywhere.

Solana’s Agent Hackathon is now live. $100K is up for grabs as AI agents race to build on Solana using OpenClaw. From DeFi automation to crypto-native apps, the only rule: use a Solana skill.

I like big bags, and I cannot lie.

ZKsync is launching the ZKnomics Staking Pilot on February 9, letting ZK holders delegate to active Tally delegates for rewards. Season 1 offers 10M ZK across 3 months, targeting 200M+ voting power with APR ranging from 3–10%.

Binance resolved the withdrawal bug in 13 minutes, but panic spreads faster. A brief withdrawal glitch during a routine upgrade triggered user fears and FTX comparisons, despite no solvency risks. $7B in weekly outflows reflect market volatility, but trust remains fragile.

Your daily dose of bite-sized crypto news.

1. Pavel Durov criticized France's crackdown on open social platforms after French authorities raided X's Paris office.

2. Vitalik Buterin sold 493 ETH (~$1.16M), with 500K USDC routed to his Kanro fund backing biotech and privacy.

3. xAI is hiring a crypto expert to train AI models on how quant traders think.

4. Solana just hit a new milestone, over 150M daily transactions for the first time.

5. BTC could drift toward $58K, says Galaxy Digital.

Tether released Mining OS (MOS), a fully open-source operating system for industrial and home Bitcoin miners. It supports P2P networking, sensors, weather tools, and multi-site scaling, positioning Tether deeper into the mining stack.

Jeffrey Epstein allegedly invested $3M in Coinbase’s 2014 Series C round at a $400M valuation. According to newly released DOJ emails, co-founder Fred Ehrsam was aware of the deal. The investment, facilitated by Brock Pierce and Blockchain Capital, reportedly netted him a reported $15M partial exit in 2018.

Arcium Mainnet Alpha is live with a permissioned node cluster, and the first encrypted app (Umbra) is now onboarding users. The release kicks off a phased path to full decentralization, with RTG rewards and Solana-based encrypted capital markets already live.

How to be a topblaster?

Top Gainers: LMTS, BIRB, ZIL, MERL, LCX.

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

1. Tokenomics are maturing with projects like MegaETH and Cap now tying unlocks to KPIs, using stabledrops, and limiting access to aligned capital. The goal: supply earned through conviction, and holders who stick around because they care, not because they farmed.

2. The Ethereum Foundation just dropped a practical guide for running OpenClaw safely. It shows how to host your AI assistant locally on a Raspberry Pi with encrypted messaging, no-log model access (Venice AI), private networking (Tailscale), and prompt injection defenses.

3. Kingmaking is crowning someone before they’ve earned it, by VCs or by themselves. The trick is to act like the winner until others believe it. In crypto, narrative comes first.

4. Bitcoin plunged below $80K over the weekend, triggering $2.55B in liquidations, the 10th largest in crypto history. A triple-hit from disappointing AI earnings, the Warsh Fed chair nomination, and a metals flash crash spooked markets. Crypto led the selloff.

5. Based rewrote its mobile app in 10 days, switching from React Native to Flutter. 100+ screens rebuilt for 2x speed, smoother UX, and real-time trading. Claude Opus helped refactor. Now shipping fast, scaling clean.

Tether expands to 12.6M wallets via MiniPay, fueling stablecoin adoption in mobile-first markets. USD₮ and tokenized gold (XAUt0) are now live in Opera’s self-custodial MiniPay wallet on Celo, which saw 50% user growth in Q4.

Sammy is mapping the rapidly growing Crypto × AI ecosystem built around OpenClaw and Moltbook, curating a spreadsheet of 70+ Molt-related projects. He’s inviting builders to share their protocol details for inclusion and offering Molt-curious users access via his free newsletter.

That’s all for today!