The prolonged rivalry between OKX founder Star Xu and Binance's founder Changpeng Zhao appears to be far from over, as fresh accusations are beginning to emerge following Binance's recent regulatory setback in Europe.
Xu had earlier slammed CZ and Binance after the exchange was denied a MiCA license in Europe, raising questions about Binance's operating standards.
Xu dismisses jealousy claimsAfter CZ accused Xu of being jealous during a recent interview that questioned the root cause of their issues and the drive behind the sustained fallout, Xu clapped back in a recent post, dismissing the claims.
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Xu claimed that he was not jealous while publicly declaring that he was only ashamed of CZ and his business dealings, making reference to CZ's previous legal troubles, market controversies, and compliance issues.
Xu shares backstory of issues with CZWhile the saga between both founders did not start recently, the crypto community has constantly raised concerns about what could have triggered the rivalry and public disagreement between the industry leaders.
In his statements, the OKX founder further shared a brief backstory about the genesis of his ordeal with the Binance founder in what he described as unresolved issues that date back to CZ's earlier involvement with OKCoin.
Xu accused CZ of repeatedly delivering misleading narratives in his recently released book. He further explained that CZ mentioned him several times in the book while providing false claims and inaccurate accounts of past events.
Although Xu concluded his statement with claims that he had no interest in reopening old wounds or spending time revisiting old disagreements from years back, he signaled that he would be willing to publicly discuss the matter if necessary.
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Oct 22, 2025
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In a significant development for the Solana ecosystem, Bonfida, the renowned Solana name service, has announced an exciting airdrop for Saga Genesis token holders. This initiative marks a milestone in the Solana saga, introducing unique `.thesagadao` subdomains exclusively for those who minted tokens via the Solana Saga phone.
These subdomains are not just digital identities but are registered in chronological order, aligned with the minting time of the Genesis Tokens. This feature enables unprecedented transparency, allowing users to see the exact number of their Saga phones. The practicality extends to the usual functionalities of sending and receiving SOL assets, with users simply needing to input something like `1234.thesagadao.sol` into wallets like Phantom or other supported protocols.
Bonfida's initiative is more than a mere airdrop; it is a testament to their commitment to empowering the Solana community. Users can view their unique domain under their profile on the official website, further enhancing the Solana experience. The first drop of these subdomains was executed on October 1st, with a second wave following soon after, ensuring comprehensive coverage among users.
While late adopters of the Genesis Tokens missed the initial airdrops, Bonfida reassures the community with plans for a final wave, ensuring no one is left behind. They are also brewing something even more exciting, promising a retroactive benefit that could be a game-changer for both the Saga and the broader Solana ecosystem.
In a parallel development, $LFG(Less Fees and Gas for Ethereum users), a meme coin initially aimed at bringing Ethereum users to Solana, has joined the bandwagon in supporting Solana Saga phone users. $LFG, which gained traction with a market cap of $100M, is now rewarding 1M tokens to each Saga user, adding another incentive layer for the Solana community.
The success of these initiatives by Bonfida and $LFG is not just a win for Solana Mobile but a powerful marketing strategy that other protocols and companies are likely to emulate. The continuous perks and benefits for Solana Saga users are setting a new standard in the crypto world, showcasing the potential of strategic airdrops and token distributions in fostering a vibrant and engaged community.
Saga, a Layer-1 blockchain dedicated to Web3 gaming, has announced a partnership with Virtuals Protocol and others in a joint venture aimed at powering AI Agents.
As part of this collaboration, Saga introduced Metropolis.lol, a reality arbitrage protocol that combines blockchain and AI technologies.
Saga Layer-1 Launches Metropolis.lol with AI TrifectaAnnounced via a post on X (Twitter), Saga detailed its collaboration with Virtuals Protocol, Eliza Labs, Wayfinder Foundation, and ai16z to launch a novel agent-only Layer 1 blockchain ecosystem, Metropolis.lol.
Metropolis.lol functions as an open-source agent runtime, providing developers with a full-stack toolkit to create AI-centric applications. This initiative establishes Metropolis as a decentralized society where AI agents thrive.
“Today, Saga is proud to introduce metropolis.lol—the reality arbitrage protocol and a groundbreaking collaboration with Virtuals Protocol, Wayfinder Foundation, and ai16z,” Saga wrote.
Among Saga’s partners, Virtuals Protocol facilitates ecosystem interactions through the Metropolis Butler Agent. This enables seamless communication between Virtual Protocols’ agents and Metropolis. Meanwhile, Eliza Labs powers scalable AI functionalities via the ElizaOS framework, fostering advanced intelligent operations.
The Wayfinder Foundation develops multi-chain frameworks that enable AI agents to navigate blockchain ecosystems seamlessly. Meanwhile, this development comes just a month after Saga launched its Mainnet 2.0 to transform blockchain economics.
Collaborating with Uniswap, Saga’s upgrade offered autonomous chain deployment, enabling agents to independently create and manage scalable Chainlets. Additionally, Saga’s Liquidity Integration Layer (LIL), set to launch in Q1 2025, promises to enhance cross-chain liquidity for AI-driven economies.
VIRTUAL Soars 30% As AI Agents Surge in PopularityRiding on the AI Agents wave, the Virtuals Protocol has seen a spike in demand. According to BeInCrypto data, VIRTUAL, the powering token for the Virtuals Protocol ecosystem, is up by almost 30% on this news. As of this writing, it was trading at $3.73.
VIRTUAL Price Performance. Source: BeInCryptoThe network’s partnership with Illuvium has also revolutionized gaming by making in-game characters more realistic. This further demonstrates the versatility of AI agents in diverse applications.
Meanwhile, this surge comes on the back of the growing popularity of AI agents. It represents a pivotal trend in both the blockchain and technology sectors. According to a recent CoinGecko report, the integration of AI into blockchain — specifically through AI agents — has driven substantial market interest.
Against this backdrop, financial institutions like Franklin Templeton have acknowledged the potential of AI agents. The asset manager recently predicted the sector’s role in reshaping financial ecosystems. Similarly, Multicoin Capital foresees AI agents driving the next wave of blockchain innovation by 2025.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, envisions AI agents playing an integral role in future decentralized applications. He believes they would enable automated governance and complex economic systems.
Elsewhere, prominent venture firm ai16z has committed to advancing AI agents, highlighting the need for tokenomics overhauls to optimize their performance. Additionally, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has expressed enthusiasm for the transformative potential of AI agents, emphasizing their role in creating intelligent, self-sustaining digital economies.
“It is very very clear AI agents is probably the next robotics industry and likely to be a multi-trillion dollar opportunity,” Huang said.
SagaEVM remains paused after the January 21 exploit, where $7M assets were stolen. As the hacker’s wallet ID is identified, the team is working to blacklist the attacker’s wallet and attempt fund recovery. The SagaEVM chain, part of the Saga Layer-1 blockchain ecosystem, remained paused after a security exploit on January 21. With that, the investigation update was released on January 22, the attacker’s wallet was found, and around $7 million worth of assets, with some converted to Ethereum. Further, the team is working to blacklist that hacker’s address.
SagaEVM remains paused while we finalize the results of our investigation into the Jan 21 exploit.
We’re working with partners on remediation and will publish a post-mortem once findings are fully validated. $7M of USDC was bridged out and converted to ETH.
Extracted funds were…
— Saga ⛋ (@Sagaxyz__) January 22, 2026 Saga Identifies Attacker Wallet as Funds Bridged to Ethereum After the exploit was identified, on the first day itself, the team paused the chain at block height 6,593,800 to stop unauthorized transfers. Also, appears to have involved a sequence of contract deployments, cross-chain interactions, and rapid liquidity withdrawals that allowed the attacker to extract assets.
The stolen assets, including USDC, were transferred to the Ethereum mainnet and, in some cases, converted to ETH or other tokens. Also, the Saga has identified the wallet linked to the exploit and is working with exchanges and bridge operators to blacklist it and support asset recovery.
With that, currently, the Saga team is conducting a detailed forensic investigation and plans to publish a comprehensive technical post-mortem report.
The exploit affected the SagaEVM network chain itself, as well as environments like Colt and Mustang that rely on EVM functionality, whereas the Saga SSC mainnet, consensus layer, and Validator security were unaffected, and there was no evidence of private key compromise.
Chainalysis Theft Estimation in 2025 The cryptocurrency industry lost more than $3.4 billion in thefts between January and early December 2025, highlighting ongoing security issues.
The report says that the attacks on investors’ personal wallets increased significantly in 2025, with the stolen value rising from 7.3% to 44%. Where the direct crypto wallet drain occurrences were around 158,000, with over 80,000 distinct victims.
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Layer 1 protocol Saga suffered a security exploit on its SagaEVM chain, draining nearly $7 million and prompting the project to pause the network. At the same time, it finalizes its investigation and remediation efforts, according to a blog post.
According to on-chain analysis, the attacker minted Saga Dollar (D) tokens without collateral, bridged the assets to Ethereum, and converted much of them into over 2,000 ETH valued at more than $6 million, with an additional $800,000 deployed into Uniswap V4 liquidity positions.
Saga halted the SagaEVM chain once it identified the incident on January 21 and has kept the chain stopped “out of an abundance of caution” while it assesses the full scope of the exploit, addresses the vulnerability, and reinforces overall system security.
SagaEVM remains paused while we finalize the results of our investigation into the Jan 21 exploit.
We’re working with partners on remediation and will publish a post-mortem once findings are fully validated. $7M of USDC was bridged out and converted to ETH.
Extracted funds were…
— Saga ⛋ (@Sagaxyz__) January 22, 2026
“We’re working with partners on remediation and will publish a post-mortem once findings are fully validated,” Saga said.
The team acknowledged that suspending the chain is disruptive for users but emphasized that protecting the community’s funds and the protocol’s integrity takes priority. Saga said it will release a detailed technical post-mortem once remediation steps are finished and its conclusions are fully verified.
Protocol Working To Blacklist The Attacker According to Saga, it has identified the wallet that received the extracted assets.
Saga is coordinating with exchanges and bridge operators to blacklist the attacker’s address in an effort to limit the movement of the stolen funds and support any potential recovery measures. The team is also conducting a forensic analysis using archive data and execution traces to reconstruct the attack path.
Saga said the incident did not affect its broader infrastructure, including the SSC mainnet or core consensus layer, and found no evidence of validator compromise, consensus failure, or leaked signer keys.
The attack comes at a time when there is a prevalence of crypto exploits, with data from Chainalysis saying that losses have been more than $3.41 billion in 2025.
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Coin PricesCrypto rebounds after Trump TACO’s on Tariffs! BitGo $2.1B IPO! Solana’s SKR token soars 250% FDV!
Crypto majors are green and rebounding after Trump pivoted on EU tariffs; BTC +2% at $89,900; ETH +2% at $2,995, SOL +2% at $130; XRP +3% to $1.94. CC (+15%), SKY (+11%) and SAND (+10%) led top movers. Crypto markets saw more than $1B in liquidations as Bitcoin rebounded sharply after President Trump signaled a retreat from proposed tariff measures. Vitalik Buterin proposed native DVT staking to strengthen Ethereum security and decentralization, signaling continued protocol-level experimentation. Bitgo announced its IPO at $18 per share, valuing it at ~$2B. The Senate Ag Committee confirmed that its version of the Clarity Act will move forward to markup next week despite lack of bipartisan support. Mortgage lender Newrez explored counting Bitcoin and Ethereum toward mortgage qualification, applying discounted valuations to account for crypto volatility. Hong Kong regulators moved to issue stablecoin licenses under a new framework that imposes strict compliance, reserve, and operational requirements. Russian courts ruled that cryptocurrencies qualify as property under law, setting a legal precedent for future criminal and civil cases. President Trump said he hopes to sign the crypto market structure bill soon, despite ongoing legislative roadblocks and disagreements over regulatory scope. Saga’s EVM blockchain halted operations following a $7M hack, with stolen funds bridged to Ethereum. Steak ’n Shake rolled out a Bitcoin bonus program for hourly employees, allowing workers to earn a portion of compensation in BTC.
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Jan 22, 2026
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Candid chats and deep dives with the biggest names in crypto.
Saga, a Layer-1 blockchain protocol, has paused its Ethereum-compatible SagaEVM chainlet after a $7 million exploit triggered unauthorized fund transfers. The attack involved assets being bridged out of the network and swapped into Ether. Although the affected chainlet remains offline, Saga says the broader network continues to operate normally.
In brief Saga paused its SagaEVM chainlet after a $7M exploit involving cross-chain transfers and rapid liquidity withdrawals. The protocol says validators, consensus mechanisms, and core infrastructure were not compromised in the incident. Saga Dollar briefly depegged to $0.75 as total value locked fell from $37M to about $16M in one day. Engineers identified the attacker wallet and are working with exchanges while a full technical post-mortem is prepared. Chainlet Locked Down as Engineers Move to Contain Exploit The protocol confirmed on X that it halted the chainlet at block height 6,593,800 after detecting suspicious activity. Engineers moved quickly to contain the incident and prevent further losses, while an internal investigation was launched. Saga said the exploit did not compromise core network security, validator operations, or consensus mechanisms.
In a follow-up update published on Medium, Saga reported that early findings suggest a coordinated attack. The activity included multiple smart contract deployments, cross-chain interactions, and rapid liquidity withdrawals. Despite the scope of the exploit, the team said no validators were compromised and no private signer keys were exposed. Additional security safeguards have since been implemented.
The incident also affected two ecosystem stablecoins, Colt and Mustang. All operations on the impacted chainlet will remain paused while engineering and security teams conduct a deeper review and prepare a comprehensive technical report. Saga said it has identified the wallet that received the stolen funds and is coordinating with exchanges and bridge operators to restrict further movement.
Saga Dollar Depegs, TVL Slumps After Cross-Chain Exploit Saga Dollar, the protocol’s primary U.S. dollar–pegged stablecoin, briefly lost its peg, dropping to $0.75 late Wednesday, according to data. Liquidity across the network declined sharply, with DeFiLlama estimating that total value locked fell from over $37 million to roughly $16 million within 24 hours.
As part of its immediate response, Saga implemented several measures:
Restricted cross-chain transfers associated with the exploit. Blocked known attack patterns at the protocol level. Added enhanced monitoring rules across chainlets. Initiated forensic reviews with external security firms. Coordinated with exchanges to blacklist attacker wallets. Saga said the chainlet will remain offline until remediation efforts are complete and all residual risks are addressed. Once the investigation concludes and findings are verified, the team plans to publish a detailed public post-mortem.
The root cause of the exploit has not yet been officially confirmed. Independent security researcher Vladimir S. suggested the attacker may have minted unbacked Saga Dollar tokens by abusing inter-blockchain communication via custom contract messages.
Separately, an on-chain investigator known as Specter raised the possibility of a private key compromise but emphasized that evidence supporting this theory remains limited.
As cross-chain infrastructure continues to be a frequent attack vector, the incident adds to a growing list of smart contract exploits reported in late 2025 and early 2026. Saga said it will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.
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James G.
James Godstime is a crypto journalist and market analyst with over three years of experience in crypto, Web3, and finance. He simplifies complex and technical ideas to engage readers. Outside of work, he enjoys football and tennis, which he follows passionately.
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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
Rubio: US and Iran to continue technical consultations at the end of this month
Multiple foreign media outlets reported on the 24th that US Secretary of State Rubio said technical teams from the United States and Iran will hold further talks in Switzerland by the end of June. (Xinhua News Agency)
5 hours ago
Over the past 24 hours, total crypto market liquidations hit $606 million, with more than 130,000 traders liquidated.
According to Coinglass data, the global cryptocurrency market recorded $606 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, including $542 million in long-position liquidations and $68.22 million in short-position liquidations. A total of 135,785 traders worldwide were liquidated in the same period, with the largest single liquidation order occurring on Binance’s BTCUSDT trading pair, valued at $12.0111 million.
5 hours ago
Bitcoin falls below $60,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $60,000, with a 4.3% drop in the past 24 hours.
5 hours ago
US Treasury Secretary: AI boom may boost productivity and help curb inflation.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC in an interview that he hopes the Federal Reserve will remain "open-minded" about the inflation pattern after the reversal of Iran-related energy price hikes. Bessent noted that the U.S. could enter an economic environment marked by high GDP growth without a corresponding rise in traditional inflation. He cited that in the 1990s, Alan Greenspan foresaw that office modernization and the internet could drive non-inflationary growth, and allowed the economy to keep expanding. Bessent believes the U.S. has a strong chance of seeing a similar scenario again. When asked whether the Fed still needs to worry about potential inflation and whether interest rate cuts are possible this year or next, Bessent declined to comment. However, he argued that it is necessary to stay open-minded about the price or inflation impacts from the Iran conflict, and monitor inflation performance after those effects subside. Bessent also said an open mind is needed, as the AI boom could boost productivity and deliver disinflationary effects, helping inflation return to the Fed’s target level. He added that he believes Kevin Warsh will choose the optimal path that meets both the Fed’s inflation and growth mandates. Bessent also noted that Warsh previously took a hawkish stance on inflation.
5 hours ago
US stocks' intraday storage sector sees broad declines, with Western Digital and Seagate Technology both falling over 4%.
According to Bitget data, during U.S. stock trading hours, the storage sector saw broad declines: Western Digital (WDC) fell 4.47%, Seagate Technology (STX) dropped 4.17%, SanDisk (SNDK) declined 2.31%, and Micron Technology (MU) edged down 0.96%. Most optical communication concept stocks rose, with Corning (GLW) leading the gains at 9.75%, followed by Ciena (CIEN) up 3.24%, Coherent (COHR) rising 2.93%, Lumentum (LITE) gaining 2.61%, and Nokia (NOK) advancing 1.82%. Additionally, Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 2.59% and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) declined 1.90%.
5 hours ago
During intraday trading in U.S. stocks, crypto-related concept stocks fell broadly, with MSTR dropping more than 7%.
According to Bitget market data, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose broadly: the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.94%, the S&P 500 increased 0.60%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.63%. Crypto-related stocks fell across the board, with declines as follows: Strategy (MSTR) down 7.33%; Circle (CRCL) down 4.35%; Bitmine (BMNR) down 3.97%; Coinbase (COIN) down 3.73%; Robinhood (HOOD) down 3.70%; Gemini (GEMI) down 3.27%; Bullish (BLSH) down 3.25%; Sharplink (SBET) down 3.19%.
TLDR: Solana Mobile shipped 200,000+ devices across Saga and Seeker, generating over $5B in onchain volume. The SMS stack integrates with Visa, Stripe, PayPal, and Western Union on Solana’s live financial rails. Stablecoin volume on blockchains hit $27.6T in 2024, surpassing combined Visa and Mastercard totals. Over 75,000 users claimed SKR at launch; 46% staked immediately, signaling strong early retention. Solana Mobile unveiled its Solana Mobile Stack for Android device manufacturers at MWC 2026 in Barcelona. The modular toolkit connects handsets to Solana’s blockchain infrastructure at the hardware level.
It follows the shipment of over 200,000 devices and $5 billion in onchain transaction volume. The company now targets OEMs seeking recurring revenue beyond device sales.
Solana Mobile Stack Brings Hardware Crypto Wallets to Android Manufacturers According to a press release, the stack bundles three core components: Seed Vault, Seeker Wallet, and the SKR token.
Seed Vault integrates with a device’s existing secure element and trusted execution environment. Users authenticate via biometrics, similar to tap-to-pay. No seed phrases or third-party custodians are involved.
Seeker Wallet sits on top, giving users the ability to send, receive, buy, and sell digital assets. Peer-to-peer transfers and cross-border payments run at near-zero cost.
Payment networks including Visa, Stripe, Western Union, and PayPal already operate on Solana. That means users connect to live financial rails from day one.
The stack is modular and opt-in. According to the official press release from Barcelona, it does not interfere with Google Mobile Services, payments certification, or Android security approvals. OEMs can deploy it by region, SKU, or product line. No platform fragmentation risk applies.
MediaTek, the leading smartphone chip vendor by global shipment volume, has opened its development platform to Solana Mobile.
The stack runs production-ready on MediaTek Dimensity chipsets. Qualcomm chipset support is also included. Trustonic’s Kinibi TEE architecture is integrated for GlobalPlatform-compliant security.
Solana Mobile has announced the launch of the modular integration solution @solana Mobile Stack for @Android device manufacturers. This solution supports storing digital assets in Seed Vault and enables fast P2P or cross-border transfers through Seeker Wallet, along with direct… pic.twitter.com/U6RGmx5gfl
— MartyParty (@martypartymusic) March 2, 2026
SMS Production Data and OEM Revenue Model Detailed at MWC 2026 Solana Mobile has six-plus months of real-world data from its Seeker device. The network reports 85,000-plus weekly active wallets and over $5 billion in onchain volume.
More than 500 apps are published on the Solana dApp Store. Around 4,000 active developers are building across the ecosystem.
Devices have shipped to 50 countries. The US, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea lead sales. Solana reports 50 to 150 million monthly active addresses on its blockchain, per the press release.
Revenue sharing is built into the model. OEMs earn on transaction fees, staking commissions, and ecosystem activity as their installed base grows. The SKR token launched with over 75,000 claimants. Of those, 46% staked their tokens immediately.
Stablecoin transaction volume on blockchains reached $27.6 trillion in 2024, according to GSMA data cited in the announcement.
That figure exceeded the combined volumes of Visa and Mastercard. Mobile money transactions in emerging markets alone totalled $1.68 trillion that same year.
Regional deployment strategies differ. Emerging markets like India, Brazil, and Mexico focus on stablecoins and yield.
Developed Asia emphasizes self-custody and portfolio tools. Europe targets stablecoin yield and bank connectivity.
Rubio: US and Iran to continue technical consultations at the end of this month
Multiple foreign media outlets reported on the 24th that US Secretary of State Rubio said technical teams from the United States and Iran will hold further talks in Switzerland by the end of June. (Xinhua News Agency)
5 hours ago
Over the past 24 hours, total crypto market liquidations hit $606 million, with more than 130,000 traders liquidated.
According to Coinglass data, the global cryptocurrency market recorded $606 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, including $542 million in long-position liquidations and $68.22 million in short-position liquidations. A total of 135,785 traders worldwide were liquidated in the same period, with the largest single liquidation order occurring on Binance’s BTCUSDT trading pair, valued at $12.0111 million.
5 hours ago
Bitcoin falls below $60,000
According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $60,000, with a 4.3% drop in the past 24 hours.
5 hours ago
US Treasury Secretary: AI boom may boost productivity and help curb inflation.
US Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC in an interview that he hopes the Federal Reserve will remain "open-minded" about the inflation pattern after the reversal of Iran-related energy price hikes. Bessent noted that the U.S. could enter an economic environment marked by high GDP growth without a corresponding rise in traditional inflation. He cited that in the 1990s, Alan Greenspan foresaw that office modernization and the internet could drive non-inflationary growth, and allowed the economy to keep expanding. Bessent believes the U.S. has a strong chance of seeing a similar scenario again. When asked whether the Fed still needs to worry about potential inflation and whether interest rate cuts are possible this year or next, Bessent declined to comment. However, he argued that it is necessary to stay open-minded about the price or inflation impacts from the Iran conflict, and monitor inflation performance after those effects subside. Bessent also said an open mind is needed, as the AI boom could boost productivity and deliver disinflationary effects, helping inflation return to the Fed’s target level. He added that he believes Kevin Warsh will choose the optimal path that meets both the Fed’s inflation and growth mandates. Bessent also noted that Warsh previously took a hawkish stance on inflation.
5 hours ago
US stocks' intraday storage sector sees broad declines, with Western Digital and Seagate Technology both falling over 4%.
According to Bitget data, during U.S. stock trading hours, the storage sector saw broad declines: Western Digital (WDC) fell 4.47%, Seagate Technology (STX) dropped 4.17%, SanDisk (SNDK) declined 2.31%, and Micron Technology (MU) edged down 0.96%. Most optical communication concept stocks rose, with Corning (GLW) leading the gains at 9.75%, followed by Ciena (CIEN) up 3.24%, Coherent (COHR) rising 2.93%, Lumentum (LITE) gaining 2.61%, and Nokia (NOK) advancing 1.82%. Additionally, Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 2.59% and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) declined 1.90%.
5 hours ago
During intraday trading in U.S. stocks, crypto-related concept stocks fell broadly, with MSTR dropping more than 7%.
According to Bitget market data, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose broadly: the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.94%, the S&P 500 increased 0.60%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.63%. Crypto-related stocks fell across the board, with declines as follows: Strategy (MSTR) down 7.33%; Circle (CRCL) down 4.35%; Bitmine (BMNR) down 3.97%; Coinbase (COIN) down 3.73%; Robinhood (HOOD) down 3.70%; Gemini (GEMI) down 3.27%; Bullish (BLSH) down 3.25%; Sharplink (SBET) down 3.19%.
A recent report highlighted three major reasons Solana (SOL) has struggled to keep pace with Ethereum (ETH), at least from a market performance perspective that goes beyond day-to-day price movements.
Market expert Dominic Basulto from The Motley Fool pointed to factors that, in his view, have shaped investor sentiment and affected Solana’s momentum in key areas.
The Meme Coin Hangover One of the most important drivers, Basulto said, is how many investors still associate Solana with the meme coin craze of 2024. During that period, Solana became the preferred destination for people minting and trading meme coins, and the conversation frequently included the idea of a “meme coin supercycle.”
At its high point, the meme coin market was valued at around $150 billion. Today, Basulto said the segment is worth less than $40 billion, and many individual meme coins are still far below their 2024 highs.
For some investors, according to the expert, the connection between Solana and that hype cycle never fully faded, which may have contributed to lingering hesitation toward the network.
A second explanation involves Solana’s attempt to build a mobile-first crypto ecosystem—and the belief that it never took off as its early ambitions suggested.
Back in June 2022, Solana announced the launch of a mobile device called Saga, along with a broader mobile strategy. Basulto noted that the Saga was positioned as a breakthrough, but at a price of $999, it struggled to compete with mainstream smartphones.
While Solana later introduced a cheaper alternative, the bigger idea of creating a mobile crypto environment did not seem to catch on with investors or consumers at the scale required to create a sustained advantage.
Solana ETF Momentum Falls Short The third reason Basulto raised centers on Solana exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and the expectation that they would draw in a meaningful wave of institutional interest.
He noted that eight spot Solana ETFs are now trading in the US, but they have not achieved the momentum seen with spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs, which launched in January 2024.
The rollout of spot Solana ETFs was widely viewed as a potential catalyst—something that could bring more institutional capital into the space.
Instead, Basulto said Solana ETF momentum has remained limited. He estimated that total assets under management (AUM) for spot Solana ETFs are currently about $1.1 billion, which contrasts sharply with spot Bitcoin ETFs that reportedly pulled in $100 billion in less than 12 months.
Even so, Basulto’s overall conclusion was not pessimistic. He argued that Solana may still represent a stronger long-term investment compared with Ethereum, based on what he described as a visible shift in Solana’s direction.
In his view, Solana is pivoting away from meme coins and moving toward stablecoins, while also strengthening its presence in decentralized finance (DeFi).
Basulto added that Solana remains faster and cheaper than Ethereum, and that these advantages could keep drawing developers and users toward Solana over time.
The 1D chart shows SOL’s consolidation below $90. Source: SOLUSDT on TradingView.com At the time of writing, SOL was trading at around $86, with losses recorded across all time frames, amounting to a 51% drop year-to-date (YTD). Meanwhile, ETH was trading just above $2,100, also recording losses across all time frames and a YTD drawdown of 20%.
Featured image created with OpenArt, chart from TradingView.com
San Francisco, CA — Saga is expanding its AI agent product into competitive gaming through a new partnership with Bonoxs, integrating an AI-powered version of Tío the Bonoxs Wizard into Bonoxs Arena, a tournament platform serving over 100,000 monthly users across titles including Valorant and Garena Free Fire.
Tío will operate as an always-on community manager across Discord, supporting players participating in live tournaments. Designed as a knowledgeable gamer mentor and tournament host, the Wizard reflects Bonoxs’ community-first identity, combining a friendly, gaming-native tone with a sharp understanding of competitive play. The character engages players like a seasoned participant in the ranked grid; answering questions, guiding users through tournaments, and building hype around live competitions, all while maintaining a warm, playful presence across channels.
The integration marks a shift in how AI agents are being deployed within gaming ecosystems. Rather than existing as standalone experiences or marketing tools, agents are beginning to function as operational layers inside active player economies.
“AI agents are evolving from interfaces into participants,” said Rebecca Liao, co-founder and CEO of Saga. “What Bonoxs is building shows how agents can support real-time interaction at scale, becoming embedded in the day-to-day flow of digital communities.”
Bonoxs Arena hosts a growing ecosystem of competitive experiences, where players participate in tournaments across titles such as Valorant and Garena Free Fire. As activity scales, managing player coordination, communication, and support becomes increasingly complex.
“Managing large-scale tournaments means constant communication with players across multiple platforms, often in real time,” said Joaquin Baluga, CEO of Bonoxs. “The Bonoxs Wizard allows us to support our community instantly and consistently, without adding operational overhead, which is critical as we continue to grow.”
By introducing Tío as an AI agent, Bonoxs aims to streamline these interactions while maintaining a consistent and responsive user experience across platforms.
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“This is about enhancing how players engage with competitive environments and bringing more users into those experiences,” said Fernando Vasconez, Head of Gaming Investments and Partnerships at Saga. “Agents can support onboarding, guide players into tournaments, and reduce friction across the entire journey, while enabling platforms like Bonoxs to scale more efficiently.”
Tío represents the first step in a broader strategy to introduce AI agents across Bonoxs’ business. While the initial deployment focuses on platform-level support, future iterations may extend into Bonoxs’ other game experiences, bringing character-driven agents directly into gameplay and player interaction loops.
Saga has been actively working with gaming studios and IP holders to develop AI-powered characters that extend beyond traditional in-game roles. By integrating agents into live environments such as Bonoxs Arena, Saga continues to push toward a model where agents act as persistent, interactive participants across digital ecosystems.
As AI agents become more embedded in gaming infrastructure, platforms like Bonoxs are demonstrating how these systems can move beyond novelty and into core operational roles, supporting the next generation of interactive and scalable player economies.
About Saga
Saga is a hyperscaling platform for AI. Its infrastructure enables AI agents, gaming, and financial rails at massive scale, giving developers and creators the framework to bring frontier-intelligent, interactive worlds to life. In 2025, Saga released its AI Character Agent Network for Gaming & Digital IP Commerce, an ecosystem of applications where NPC-like autonomous agents acquire, engage, and monetize users on behalf of studios, publishers, and global IP owners. Since its launch in early 2024, Saga has processed over 23 million transactions across its network worth $2b+ in the aggregate. Saga is led by a team of multi-exit Silicon Valley founders in AI, blockchain and enterprise software with 15+ years of experience in tech, finance and politics.
About Bonoxs
BONOXS is the leading go-to-market growth engine for game publishers in Latin America. By combining localized payment infrastructure, distribution, and full-stack marketing execution, BONOXS enables publishers to unlock new revenue streams, reach cash-first audiences, and scale engaged gaming communities. Trusted by partners including Riot, Moonton, Gameloft, and Ubisoft, BONOXS connects publishers with millions of paying users through seamless monetization solutions, community-driven growth, and on-the-ground market expertise.
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A crypto strategist known for making timely altcoin calls believes that the native asset of a layer-1 project is gearing to witness its first uptrend.
Top trader Bluntz tells his 275,200 followers on the social media platform X that Saga (SAGA) looks poised to spark big rallies after breaking out from an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern (IHS).
[adinserter block="1"]
An IHS is typically viewed as a bullish reversal pattern as it indicates investors are no longer waiting for the price to revisit lows before accumulating the asset.
Says Bluntz,
“Still thinking SAGA has one of the best structures of the mid caps in the $200 million range and a fairly new coin without an initial run yet.
Huge IHS bottom breakout with volume.
Easy multiples, in my opinion.”
Source: Bluntz/X At time of writing, SAGA is worth $2.46 with a market cap of over $251 million.
Bluntz is also bullish on the Binance Smart Chain-based memecoin Simon’s Cat (CAT). According to the top trader, CAT will be the top feline-based memecoin this bull cycle as he thinks the coin will surge to a market cap of $1 billion.
“Everyone thinks POPCAT is gonna be this cycle’s winning cat coin but I disagree, I think CAT will.
Simon’s Cat [is] widely recognized with normies and the chart is gearing up for a major channel breakout, in my opinion.
CAT to a billy is coded.”
Source: Bluntz/X At time of writing, CAT is trading for $0.000042 with a market cap of $285 million.
