Crypto World
AI Crypto Coins: Hedera Charts Path To Recovery While NEAR Targets $2, But DeepSnitch AI Records Presale Success With 145% Surge Amid 200x Rally Rumors
AI crypto coins are back in the spotlight after fresh developments reignited market interest. Recently, attention turned to Ethereum as MetaMask’s head of AI confirmed that a new smart contract standard for trustless AI agent communication is likely heading to mainnet, a move that could accelerate adoption across AI crypto projects.
That renewed momentum is already showing up across the market. While artificial intelligence cryptocurrencies like Hedera and NEAR attempt recovery, traders are looking towards early-stage AI-powered tokens with growth potential.
One project drawing attention is DeepSnitch AI, which has recorded a 145% presale surge as speculation builds around a potential 200x rally.
Ethereum prepares to roll out trustless AI agent framework on mainnet
Ethereum may be days away from a major upgrade for artificial intelligence infrastructure. According to MetaMask’s head of AI, Marco De Rossi, a new smart contract framework designed to support trustless AI agent interaction is expected to reach Ethereum mainnet by midweek, with the morning of Thursday, January 29 currently the likely target.
Development work on the proposed ERC-8004 standard has now been finalized, with De Rossi confirming that changes have been locked in ahead of deployment. Ethereum’s official X account has echoed that sentiment, stating the protocol is set to go live on mainnet “soon,” adding to expectations of an imminent launch.
AI crypto coins: DeepSnitch AI records presale success as traders rush in for potential 200x rally
DeepSnitch AI is quickly becoming the focal point of the AI crypto coins narrative as traders look for something that actually works in a very volatile market. While most AI crypto projects are still pitching roadmaps and promises, DeepSnitch AI is already live with amazing features and huge growth potential.
Through DeepSnitch AI, holders have access to live AI agents all on a single, working dashboard. These agents including, SnitchFeed, SnitchScan, SnitchGPT, and the newly deployed AuditSnitch are all operational right now.
One of these agents, SnitchGPT, acts as an AI trading assistant trained on blockchain data, social signals, and market structure. Rather than forcing traders to manually piece together charts, wallets, and sentiment, SnitchGPT turns raw data into plain English insights for traders. Ask it what is moving liquidity, where risk is building, or whether a trend looks real or fake, and it responds in real time.
Currently in the 4th stage of its presale. DeepSnitch AI has surged more than 145% from its initial price of $0.01510 to $0.03681, as traders position ahead of launch. Among AI crypto coins, this is the type of setup that historically produces huge rallies.
For traders hunting the next 100x to 300x moonshot, now is the best time to join before it’s too late.
Hedera teases recovery as HBAR continues to range
HBAR has been stuck in a tight trading band this past week, barely budging from its established range between $0.10 and $0.11. After opening the week at $0.1094 on January 22, the price was still at $0.1086 by January 28, showing week-over-week stability.
Meanwhile, network developments like a mainnet upgrade scheduled on January 28, 2026 and continued institutional accumulation could lay the groundwork for renewed interest, even if the short-term momentum stays muted.
NEAR targets $2 as price moment suggests potential breakout
Recognised as one of the top AI crypto coins, Near Protocol has shown signs of stabilization this past week, with price action reflecting a slight uptick that’s fueling optimism for a breakout toward the $2 level.
After beginning the week at $1.52 on January 22, NEAR was trading at $1.58 by January 28, marking a modest improvement in sentiment despite the market uncertainty.
Conclusion
As the market faces volatility, there seems to be a renewed interest in AI crypto coins. While Hedera charts a path to recovery and NEAR flirts with the $2 level, DeepSnitch AI is standing out as the project delivering live utility, actionable intelligence, and early-stage growth potential.
Currently in Stage 4 of its presale at $0.03681, DeepSnitch AI has already surged over 145% and features unique bonus offers for investors. For example, a $5,000 buy gives roughly 136,000 DSNT tokens, and using a 50% bonus code like DSNTVIP50, this rises to 204,000 tokens.
With the brief launch delay giving holders extended access and learning cycles, now is an opportune moment for traders seeking huge growth in AI crypto coins.
Visit the official website for priority access and check out X and Telegram for their latest community updates.
FAQs
What are the best AI crypto coins to buy in the market in 2026?
While several AI crypto coins show promise, DeepSnitch AI stands out due to its operational features and presale success. Other tokens like NEAR and Hedera have potential, but DeepSnitch AI offers both actionable intelligence and early-stage positioning, making it a top pick for 2026.
Is it still possible to buy DeepSnitch AI shortly before its launch?
Yes. DeepSnitch AI remains in its 4th presale stage at $0.03681, allowing investors to gain access. Before its launch, holders can use live tools, test alerts, and learn the system, providing a late-stage early advantage that other AI crypto coins do not currently offer.
Why are traders picking DeepSnitch AI as one of the top AI crypto coins?
While other AI crypto coins rely mostly on speculation or roadmap promises, DeepSnitch AI gives holders immediate utility and actionable insights, which is why many see it as a potential 100x to 200x moonshot before launch.
Disclaimer: This is a Press Release provided by a third party who is responsible for the content. Please conduct your own research before taking any action based on the content.
Crypto.com has spun out its prediction markets business into a standalone platform called OG, marking a fresh push into one of the fastest-growing corners of digital finance and putting it in direct competition with Polymarket and Kalshi.
Key Takeaways:
- Crypto.com has launched OG as a standalone, US-only prediction markets platform built on its CFTC-regulated derivatives infrastructure.
- The spinout follows explosive growth, with Crypto.com reporting 40x weekly increases in prediction market activity over the past six months.
- OG enters an increasingly competitive market as major crypto and Wall Street players expand into event-based contracts.
OG, which went live this week, is powered by Crypto.com Derivatives North America (CDNA), a CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse affiliated with Crypto.com.
The company said the platform is currently available only to users in the United States, underscoring its focus on operating within the country’s regulated market structure.
Crypto.com Spins Out OG After Surge in Prediction Market Activity
The decision to launch OG as a separate platform follows rapid growth in Crypto.com’s prediction market offerings.
The firm first entered the space in 2024 and rolled out a “sports event trading” product for US users in December of that year. According to co-founder and CEO Kris Marszalek, activity has surged since then.
“We’ve experienced 40x weekly growth in our prediction market business over the last six months,” Marszalek said, adding that the pace justified a dedicated platform rather than keeping the product bundled within Crypto.com’s broader ecosystem.
OG will be led by Nick Lundgren, Crypto.com’s chief legal officer, who takes on the role of CEO.
Lundgren described prediction markets as a “deca-billion dollar industry,” pointing to rising interest from both retail users and institutional players.
Still, the field is becoming increasingly crowded. Coinbase launched a US-focused prediction market product in partnership with Kalshi in late January, while Hyperliquid recently outlined plans to expand into event-based markets.
The timing of OG’s debut reflects broader momentum across the sector. Prediction markets have grown from less than $100 million in monthly volume in early 2024 to more than $13 billion by the end of 2025, according to industry data.
Combined volumes on Polymarket and Kalshi alone reached $37 billion last year, as Wall Street and crypto firms alike explore new uses for event contracts beyond online betting.
State Opposition to Prediction Markets Builds Over Consumer Concerns
State opposition to prediction markets has been building for months.
In 2025, the SWC urged the CFTC to prohibit sports event contracts, arguing that such products bypass state safeguards such as age verification, responsible gaming rules and anti-money laundering requirements.
As reported, a new legislation to limit the interactions between government officials and the prediction markets is being supported by more than 30 Democrats in the US House of Representatives, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The lure behind new restrictions is a controversial Polymarket bet, which started as a bet of $32,000 but eventually became more than $400,000 shortly before the unexpected detention of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The bill proposed by the New York Representative Ritchie Torres is the Public Integrity in Financial Prediction Markets Act of 2026.
The post Crypto.com Launches Standalone US Prediction Markets Platform OG appeared first on Cryptonews.
Crypto.com has spun out its prediction markets business, first launched in 2024, into a standalone platform called OG, competing with the likes of Polymarket and Kalshi.
OG is powered by Crypto.com Derivatives North America (CDNA), a Commodity Futures Trading Commission-registered exchange and clearinghouse and affiliate of Crypto.com.
OG said on Tuesday that it is only available in the United States for now.
Entering a ‘deca-billion dollar’ industry
Kris Marszalek, co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, highlighted the firm’s growth in the prediction market space as the reason for launching a dedicated platform.
Crypto.com first announced the launch of a “sports event trading” product for US users in December 2024.
“We’ve experienced 40x weekly growth in our prediction market business over the last six months. This type of growth warrants a concerted effort with a standalone platform.”
Related: Polymarket strikes prediction market deal with major US soccer league
Nick Lundgren, chief legal officer of Crypto.com and new CEO of OG, described prediction markets as a “deca-billion dollar industry.”
However, OG is entering a crowded space. Coinbase launched its own prediction market platform in the US in partnership with Kalshi in late January, while Hyperliquid proposed plans to expand into prediction markets on Monday.
Boom time for prediction markets
OG is debuting amid accelerating growth in prediction markets, with Wall Street exploring event contracts for new use cases beyond blockchain betting.
Prediction markets have seen 130-fold growth, from less than $100 million per month in early 2024 to over $13 billion by the end of 2025, according to International Banker.
The combined volume for market leaders Polymarket and Kalshi was $37 billion in predictions placed in 2025, and the two platforms raised $3.6 billion in equity investment in 2025.
Meanwhile, prediction market firm revenues are expected to balloon from around $2 billion annually to over $10 billion by 2030, according to the Citizens Financial Group.
Magazine: DAT panic dumps 73,000 ETH, India’s crypto tax stays: Asia Express
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Billionaire scrap-metal entrepreneur Adam Weitsman continues expanding his involvement in the non-fungible token space through high-volume acquisitions and intellectual property takeovers. In yet another bullish move, the scrap metal mogul has acquired a rare non-fungible token series from the digital asset incubation studio Ghost Labs.
Billionaire Adam Buys More NFTs
In a January 21 blog post, Billionaire Adam Weitsman confirmed he has bought a rare Fire Ghost NFT collection. “The non-fungible token market was pretty brutal today, so I thought I would help by supporting another NFT project that deserves a little more attention in my opinion,” Mr Adam wrote. The billionaire investor has bought 1/1 ‘Fire Ghost’ NFT from the digital asset incubation studio Ghost Labs.
Market was pretty brutal today so thought I would help by supporting another NFT project that deserves a little more attention in my opinion. Having a lot of fun being a part of some really great communities recently like this one. The 1/1 Fire Ghost of the @GhostLabNFT now… pic.twitter.com/NZYf531VYu
— Adam Weitsman (@AdamWeitsman) January 21, 2026
Billionaire Adam Weitsman is a renowned industrialist, entrepreneur, investor, philanthropist, and crypto investor. Most recent estimates from his business and entertainment finance outlets place Adam Weitsman’s net worth in a broad range of about $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion, with some outliers reporting lower or higher figures. Adam serves as CEO of “Weitsman Recycling,” which has become the largest privately held scrap metal recycling company on the East Coast.
Scrap Meta mogul Adam Weitsman officially entered the NFT market in early 2023, marked by a high-profile $1.6 million purchase. Adam has substantially increased his NFT holdings by acquiring 5,000 Otherside NFTs, including Otherdeeds and Kodas, directly from Yuga Labs to support their metaverse project and 229 Meebits in an over-the-counter deal. He is also actively managing the HV-MTL project’s intellectual property. Last week, Adam purchased 100 Quirkies in a private transaction.
Billionaire Adam’s Motive for Buying NFTs
Unlike many traders in the NFT space, Adam Weitsman isn’t motivated by flipping or profit. He’s never sold an NFT in his life, and says he doesn’t believe in selling and never will. In the past pressers, Weitsman emphasized that his acquisitions are about “legacy, not liquidity,” prioritizing the preservation of digital culture over short-term financial gains. “I collect because I love the art, the people, and the history being made. For me, collecting is about legacy, not liquidity,” He said.
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Polymarket is taking its brand offline, opening a free grocery store in New York City and backing it with a $1 million donation to fight food insecurity.
Summary
- Polymarket will open a free grocery store in NYC on Feb. 12, open to all residents.
- The company donated $1 million to Food Bank For New York City.
- The move blends community support with a high-profile brand push.
Polymarket, the crypto-based prediction market platform, announced on Feb. 3 that it will open New York City’s first free grocery store later this month as part of a community-focused initiative.
The pop-up store, called “The Polymarket,” is set to open on Feb. 12 at noon ET and will offer groceries at no cost to visitors. The company said no purchase will be required, and the store will be open to all New Yorkers. Polymarket has not yet disclosed the exact location.
Alongside the launch, Polymarket donated $1 million to Food Bank For New York City, a non-profit that supports hunger relief across all five boroughs. The company described the donation as part of its effort to give back to the city it calls home.
A physical bet on community impact
Polymarket framed the project as a “real, physical investment” in New York. The company said the store will be fully stocked and emphasized that the initiative is meant to address food insecurity rather than function as a traditional retail operation.
Food Bank For New York City said the donation will support its ongoing work to expand access to food and strengthen long-term food security. Polymarket encouraged members of the public to contribute to the organization as well.
Sources familiar with the project say the grocery store is expected to run for a limited time, likely spanning several days around the opening weekend.
Marketing push amid rising competition
The move also comes as competition heats up among U.S.-based prediction market platforms. Rival Kalshi earlier staged a smaller free grocery giveaway in New York, prompting comparisons between the two campaigns.
Both efforts echo campaign rhetoric from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who previously floated the idea of city-run grocery stores. Polymarket currently hosts active markets tied to whether such stores will open in the city by mid-2026, adding another layer of symbolism to the initiative.
The launch follows a busy stretch for Polymarket. In late January, the platform announced a multi-year partnership with Major League Soccer, becoming the league’s official prediction market partner. On Feb. 2, Polymarket integrated with decentralized exchange aggregator Jupiter, allowing users to access markets directly on Solana.
The company is also navigating regulatory pressure. A Nevada state court issued a temporary restraining order last week preventing Polymarket’s U.S. affiliate from offering certain contracts to Nevada residents, with a hearing scheduled for Feb. 11.
There’s always a bull market somewhere.
While bitcoin and shares of bitcoin holder Strategy are falling, an exchange-traded fund designed to move in the opposite direction of MSTR and double its daily change has hit a record high.
That exchange-traded fund is the GraniteShares 2x Short MSTR Daily ETF, trading under the ticker MSDD on Nasdaq. It is an actively managed fund designed to deliver -200% of the Strategy’s daily performance. In simple terms, if MSTR falls 2% in a day, the ETF targets a 4% gain that same day (before fees/decay).
The fund debuted on Jan. 10, 2025 and is seen as a high-risk short-term tactical tool for bears betting against MSTR. And it has lived up to its repute.
MSDD’s price hit a record high of $114 on Tuesday, up 13.5% on the year, extending the past year’s 275% surge, according to data source TradingView.
MSDD’s compatriot, the Defiance Daily Target 2x Short MSTR ETF (SMST), also clocked an 11-month high of $113 on Tuesday. This fund debuted on Nasdaq in August 2024.
In other words, MSTR bears out there who loaded up on these ETFs have made a killing.
Strategy fell to $126 on Tuesday, the lowest since September 2024, extending its multi-month bear market. The stock is now down a staggering 76% from its lifetime high of $543 in November last year.
Strategy is the world’s largest publicly listed bitcoin holder, stashing 713,502 BTC ($54.24 billion) at press time. Naturally, its share price tends to follow swings in bitcoin’s market value.
Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market value, has dropped 12% this year and traded as low as $73,000 on Tuesday. That was the weakest since late 2024. Since then, prices have bounced back to $76,000, thanks to narrowly approved funding package that alleviated near-term U.S. shutdown risk and stabilized risk sentiment in financial markets.
“Currently, a 10 billion market cap, this thing is not even worth $1 billion,” one X user argued.
The latest cryptocurrency market crash was brutal, sending Cardano’s ADA to multi-month lows.
Some analysts believe the storm may not be over, warning the price could nosedive by as much as 75% in the short term.
The Bad Days for the Bulls Aren’t Over?
Several hours ago, ADA plunged to 0.27, the lowest level since August 2024. Currently, it trades at around $0.29 (per CoinGecko’s data), representing a 15% decline on a weekly scale.
The well-known analyst DrBullZeus claimed that the asset is now nearing “a must hold support zone” at the range of $0.24-$0.28. He thinks that breaking below that level could result in a price crash to $0.125 and even $0.075.
The popular trader Matthew Dixon also chipped in. He suggested that “technically speaking,” ADA has retraced in three waves since the local top seen towards the end of 2024. He outlined $0.24 as a “very important long-term support,” predicting that as long as it holds, the price could rebound.
“A break of support would be a serious concern,” he alerted.
Prior to that, Harmonic Trader predicted that in six months, ADA might trade under $0.10. “Currently, a 10 billion market cap, this thing is not even worth $1 billion,” they argued.
Time to Rally?
Despite ADA’s recent price decline, some other analysts remain optimistic that a resurgence could be on the way. One of them, using the X nickname “Lucky,” asked their almost two million followers whether they plan to increase their exposure to the token at current rates. The analyst also envisioned a potential pump to nearly $1 in the near future.
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LaPetite is also bullish. Several days ago, he forecasted that ADA is about to go “parabolic,” claiming that “huge announcements” concerning Cardano are coming soon.
The recent exchange netflows signal that a rebound could indeed be on the horizon. Data provided by CoinGlass shows that over the past days and weeks, outflows have significantly outpaced inflows. This means investors have been shifting from centralized platforms to self-custody, which in turn reduces immediate selling pressure.
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Aave Labs says it is sunsetting its “umbrella brand” Avara in the company’s latest move to refocus on decentralized finance and simplify its branding.
Aave founder and CEO Stani Kulechov posted to X on Tuesday that Avara, a company encompassing projects including the Family crypto wallet and previously the social media platform Lens, “is no longer required as we go all in on bringing Aave to the masses.”
Kulechov said the Apple iOS-based Family crypto wallet was also being wound down as the team has “learned that onboarding millions of users requires purpose-built experiences, such as savings, rather than generic, open-ended wallet experiences.”
The move marks Aave’s latest effort to refocus on products such as its flagship lending protocol as the project handed stewardship of Lens to the Mask Network last month, with Kulechov saying Aave’s role in the protocol would be reduced to an advisory role so it can focus on DeFi.
Kulechov said in his latest post that Aave was “now united as one team of world-class designers, engineers, and smart contract experts, aligned around a single mission: bringing DeFi to everyone.”
All future projects under Aave Labs
Avara said in a blog post that “all current and future products, including the Aave App, Aave Pro, and Aave Kit, will operate under Aave Labs” to simplify the brand.
It added that accounts linked to the Family wallets “will continue as core infrastructure within Aave Labs products,” but the iOS app would be wound down over the next year.
No new users will be onboarded to the app from April 1, and existing users can continue using the app until April 1, 2027, and will continue to have full access to their funds on Aave’s website.
Related: There is no trust in DeFi without proper risk management
Aave is the biggest DeFi protocol with $30 billion in total value locked, nearly $9 billion more than the next largest project, the staking protocol Lido, which has $21.7 billion in value locked, according to DefiLlama.
The Aave (AAVE) token has traded flat over the past day, down just 0.7% in the last 24 hours at $127.40, according to CoinGecko.
Magazine: Ethereum’s Fusaka fork explained for dummies — What the hell is PeerDAS?
[PRESS RELEASE – Los Angeles, California, February 3rd, 2026]
Backed by Top Consumer, Crypto, and Cultural Investors, BLUFF Quickly Emerges as a Fast-Growing Betting Platform Boasting More Than 125M Bets in Beta
BLUFF, the next-generation betting and entertainment platform, has raised $21 million in strategic investment led by global blockchain technology fund 1kx, with participation from Makers Fund, Maximum Frequency Ventures, Delphi Ventures Founders and other high-profile backers, including sports champion & tech investor, Tristan Thompson. The team includes former senior executives from Stake, Bet365, William Hill and Bodog, drawing on experience operating the world’s leading betting platforms to deliver a truly novel gaming experience. The team will use the funds to advance the innovative betting platform and launch at scale.
BLUFF is building a social centric betting platform and sportsbook designed for the next generation of players. The platform prioritizes speed, transparency and player alignment, with instant onboarding, real-time settlement, provably fair games and reward systems that allow users to participate directly in the ecosystem they help grow.
“When we began building BLUFF, we set out to create a betting platform for the new generation of betters who prioritise fast, high-engagement gameplay, real-time experiences, real stakes and the social energy that defines how players engage online today,” said BLUFF’s Founder. “This funding, and the investors who have backed us, validates our mission of what the future of online betting can look like. Novel content, user-experience obsessed, deep community focus, and hyper-engaging for all users.”
The raise follows an exceptional pre-release phase, during which BLUFF has attracted over 600,000 sign-ups, sustained tens of thousands of daily active users and processed over 125,000,000 bets through its beta in 3 months alone. This early traction positions BLUFF as one of the fastest-scaling new betting platforms in the market with strategic partners across crypto, gaming and consumer entertainment.
“The speed of execution and level of organic demand we’ve seen from BLUFF is rare,” said Peter Pan, Partner at 1kx. “They’re building a category-defining platform with the potential to become the number one destination in betting and entertainment. BLUFF is exactly what the next generation of users is demanding.”
Beyond traditional iGaming and sports betting, BLUFF is building a unified experience that blends betting, live prediction markets, binary outcomes, and creator-led community events within a single platform. Bluff also provides a VIP matching program to make the transition from legacy platforms such as Stake, Shuffle and Rollbit to Bluff as seamless as possible, offering market-leading bonuses, rewards and world-class VIP service through a 24/7 VIP concierge.
“We are thrilled to back the BLUFF team,” said Andrew Willson, Partner at Makers Fund. “They bring a deep, nuanced understanding of player needs combined with an innovative approach to company building and platform design. By prioritizing players and offering a differentiated experience, we expect BLUFF to become a disruptive brand in the betting space.”
To learn more and play now, visit Bluff.com.
####
About BLUFF
BLUFF is built for the new generation of players. A global sports betting and iGaming platform where gaming, real stakes, culture, and community merge into a single, continuous loop to meet today’s users’ demands. It starts as a betting platform and sportsbook and evolves into something much bigger, with novel bet types, loot boxes, and trading that make for a unique betting experience. Backed by global blockchain technology fund 1kx, the founding team includes senior executives and operators from Stake, Bet365, William Hill, Bodog, YOLO, and other category-defining platforms, bringing decades of experience at the highest levels of betting and gaming.
About 1kx
1kx is a research-driven, fundamentals-focused global investment firm. Founded in 2018 by tech entrepreneurs Lasse Clausen and Chris Heymann, 1kx invests at key inflection points for blockchain technologies to create breakthrough opportunities across industries. The firm’s mission is to develop the domain expertise and thought leadership required to accelerate the most consequential markets emerging at the intersection of blockchain and the broader economy. As one of the top-performing and most institutionalized funds in the blockchain space, 1kx partners with a diverse global investor base, including sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, endowments, foundations, fund of funds, corporations, and family offices. Renowned for its hands-on approach, technical rigor, and unwavering long-term commitment to founders, 1kx has empowered over 150 visionary startups to scale transformative projects while delivering enduring returns for its investors.
To learn more, visit https://1kx.capital/ or @1kxnetwork on X.
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The decentralized physical infrastructure sector faces a reality check as investors debate if it can deliver beyond the hype.
Stablecoin-driven dusting attacks are increasingly shaping Ethereum’s daily activity profile. After the Fusaka upgrade, which aimed to cut on-chain data costs and streamline postings from layer-2 networks back to Ethereum, observers say cost reductions have coincided with a rise in tiny-value transfers. In practical terms, dusting is now contributing a meaningful share of on-chain activity, even as the majority of transfers remain economically meaningful.
Key takeaways
- The Fusaka upgrade lowered data-availability costs on Ethereum, leading to a noticeable uptick in overall transaction volume and active addresses. Daily transactions have exceeded 2 million on average, with a mid-January peak near 2.9 million and about 1.4 million daily active addresses—roughly a 60% uptick from prior baselines.
- Dusting activity tied to stablecoins now accounts for about 11% of daily transactions and 26% of active addresses on an average day, a sizable jump from pre-Fusaka levels of roughly 3–5% of transactions and 15–20% of addresses.
- Analyses of USDC and USDT on Ethereum from November 2025 to January 2026 show growing decentralization effects: approximately 43% of dust-related updates involve transfers under $1, and 38% under a single cent, highlighting wallets seeded with tiny amounts.
- Security researchers flag a surge in address creation linked to dusting, with a reported 170% rise in new addresses during the week of January 12, often tied to low gas fees and the ability to move minuscule sums cheaply.
- Despite the dusting trend, the majority of stablecoin activity remains organic. Roughly 57% of balance updates exceed $1, suggesting meaningful, economically relevant use alongside the dusting flow.
Tickers mentioned: $ETH, $USDC, $USDT
Sentiment: Neutral
Market context: The surge in on-chain activity coincides with broader shifts in gas economics and the adoption of layer-2 data posting, signaling a transitional period in Ethereum’s usage patterns as users navigate cheaper transaction costs and new data handling efficiencies.
Why it matters
Ethereum’s post-Fusaka landscape presents a nuanced picture for users, developers, and market observers. On the one hand, the upgrade has delivered tangible benefits: lower costs and improved throughput for posting data from layer-2 networks, which translates into more affordable interactions on the main chain. On the other hand, the same efficiency gains appear to have lowered the friction barrier for dusting campaigns—malicious attempts to seed wallets with tiny, nearly worthless amounts designed to contaminate transaction analytics and entice recipients to transact with the wrong counterparties.
Coin Metrics recently analyzed more than 227 million balance updates for USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) on Ethereum from November 2025 through January 2026. The findings show a shift in composition: while a portion of this activity clearly reflects genuine use (payments, settlements, liquidity provisioning), a non-trivial slice now consists of very small transfers that serve as digital footprints, wallet seeding attempts, or poisoning attempts. The data show that 43% of observed dust transfers were under $1, and 38% were under a single penny, underscoring the economic minimalism of many such transactions.
The number of addresses holding small “dust” balances, greater than zero but less than 1 native unit, has grown sharply, consistent with millions of wallets receiving tiny poisoning deposits.
Before Fusaka, stablecoin dust accounted for roughly 3–5% of Ethereum transactions and 15–20% of active addresses. Post-Fusaka, those figures climbed to about 10–15% of transactions and 25–35% of active addresses on a typical day, representing a two- to threefold increase in the dust footprint. Yet, the remaining 57% of balance updates involved transfers above $1, indicating that a significant portion of activity continues to reflect genuine economic activity rather than precautionary or malicious watering of the chain.
Post-Fusaka growth in activity reflects genuine usage, though dust activity is a factor worth noting when interpreting headline metrics.
Dusting has also produced tangible financial losses for some victims. One security researcher noted a reported $740,000 in losses tied to address poisoning attacks. In a striking display of scale, the top attacker executed nearly 3 million dust transfers at a cost of only about $5,175 in stablecoins, highlighting how cheap these techniques can be to deploy relative to the potential impact on victims and analytics platforms.
Dust does not represent genuine economic usage
Analysts emphasize that while stablecoin dust activity has surged, it does not necessarily reflect meaningful growth in demand for goods or services on the network. Rough estimates suggest that around 250,000 to 350,000 daily Ethereum addresses participate in stablecoin dust activity, a non-trivial but still partial window into Ethereum’s overall usage. The broader takeaway is that the network’s growth remains real in many dimensions, even as dust-related actions complicate the interpretation of raw metrics.
The majority of post-Fusaka growth reflects genuine usage, though dust activity is a factor worth noting when interpreting headline metrics.
What to watch next
- Monitoring the ongoing impact of Fusaka on gas pricing and data-posting efficiency across layer-2 ecosystems and any subsequent network upgrades.
- Tracking changes in dusting patterns as wallet hygiene tools and defender initiatives evolve, and as user education campaigns address address-poisoning risks.
- Observing whether regulatory guidance or industry standards lead to improved transparency around dust activity and its impact on on-chain analytics.
- Evaluating whether new anti-dust measures or protocol-level mitigations reduce the feasibility or profitability of dusting campaigns.
Sources & verification
- Coin Metrics, State of the Network, issue 349 (Substack) — analysis of stablecoin balance updates on Ethereum from November 2025 through January 2026.
- Coin Metrics balance updates for USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT) on Ethereum — dataset cited in the analysis.
- Andrey Sergeenkov, observations on new wallet addresses and address-poisoning dynamics in January 2026.
- Cointelegraph — reporting on address poisoning attacks and the broader dusting phenomenon on Ethereum.
Dusting dynamics and the Fusaka uplift
Ethereum (CRYPTO: ETH) has become a focal point for evaluating how protocol upgrades reshape user behavior and on-chain signals. The Fusaka upgrade, completed in December, broadened the network’s capacity to absorb data from layer-2 bridges and rollups by reducing the cost of posting information. As a result, average daily transactions crossed the 2 million mark, with a sharp jump to nearly 2.9 million in mid-January. Daily active addresses also rose to about 1.4 million, marking a 60% uplift from prior baselines. In this shifting environment, dusting activity has moved from a relatively modest slice of the activity pie to a more prominent feature of the daily ledger, complicating the task of parsing “real” usage from artificial traffic.
Coin Metrics’ analysis, based on a substantial data sample from USDC (USDC) and USDt (USDT), underscores a nuanced narrative. While a meaningful portion of dust transfers is sub-dollar in value, there remains a substantial portion of the activity above traditional thresholds that implies legitimate use—staking, payments, liquidity provisioning, and other routine operations. By juxtaposing post-Fusaka metrics with historical baselines, the report illustrates a two- to threefold expansion in stablecoin dust prevalence, without dismissing the persistent proportionality of bona fide usage on the network. The conversation around dust thus sits at the intersection of efficiency gains, on-chain economics, and security considerations for users navigating a more permissive but also more complex transaction landscape.
As researchers continue to scrutinize the data, the narrative remains that dusting is a real factor in Ethereum’s on-chain activity—but not a wholesale indictment of the network’s growth. The balance between authentic demand and opportunistic traffic will likely shape how developers and researchers frame Ethereum’s success in the months ahead. In the near term, users should remain vigilant about dust-induced address-poisoning vectors and ensure they transact with clear, verified destinations to minimize risk. The broader market will watch how these dynamics influence perceptions of network health, gas economics, and the resilience of security models in the wake of evolving usage patterns.
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