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Zach Pandl, the head of research at Grayscale, posted on the X platform comparing Ethereum to a "small country" and discussed the ETH issuance mechanism. He believes that Ethereum has only one core "government function": to protect property rights and value exchange within the system. Unlike traditional countries that provide public services through taxation, Ethereum primarily funds network security through "seigniorage," which is the issuance of new ETH.In this framework, the stakers responsible for maintaining network security are akin to a group providing public services, as they receive rewards through newly issued ETH. Therefore, Ethereum's staking mechanism and ETH issuance policy essentially constitute the network's fiscal and monetary policy. Zach Pandl pointed out that the Ethereum community needs to decide how much "new currency" should be used to cover network security costs. More security typically means stronger protection of property rights, but at the cost of a higher ETH issuance rate and potential other risks.For example, if network security increasingly relies on a few large staking service providers, there remains room for discussion about whether these providers can maintain the asset rights of all users completely neutrally. Pandl believes that, just as in traditional economies, no one knows the "optimal level" of government spending and currency issuance; the same applies to Ethereum. However, Ethereum has several key security thresholds, including: 1/3: an attacker reaching this ratio may affect finality; 1/2: affects blockchain fork choice; 2/3: can control the finality process. Some community members believe that the design of Ethereum's monetary and fiscal policy should consider the security trade-offs brought by these key ratios, while the current mechanism has not adequately incorporated these factors. However, the above analogy is not entirely accurate, as it does not yet involve other important factors such as the ETH burn mechanism, MEV, governance, etc.

According to the monitoring by the head of Galaxy Research, it has communicated with over 190 victims of Coldcard vulnerability attacks and has asked victims who have not yet contacted them to reach out via private message so that they can provide tracking information and assist in reporting losses to the relevant authorities.Since August 6, no new attack incidents have been confirmed, but this does not mean that new attacks will not occur, and vigilance is required.

Grayscale Research Director Zach Pandl stated that the two major blockchain networks, Ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), are considering adjusting their token economic models to enhance asset scarcity by reducing future token supply growth through lowering annual inflation rates. As important native assets supporting stablecoins and tokenized asset ecosystems, the prices of ETH and SOL are primarily determined by supply and demand dynamics. If the relevant code upgrade proposals are approved, under unchanged conditions, lower supply growth may provide support for token prices.According to Grayscale's analysis, if the relevant adjustments are implemented, the supply inflation rates of BTC, ETH, and SOL will continue to decline over the next five years. By the end of 2031, the annual inflation rates for Bitcoin and Ethereum are expected to be around 0.4%, and Solana around 1.1%, which is lower than gold's annual supply growth rate of about 1.8% and the U.S. CPI inflation level of about 3.3%. Currently, these token economic adjustments are still in the community discussion phase. Among them, the Solana-related proposal has gained broader support and has a higher likelihood of implementation; the Ethereum proposal still requires further discussion.If the adjustments are implemented, staking users may face reduced token rewards, as part of the staking income comes from the issuance of new tokens. However, due to the decline in the growth rate of circulating supply, the scarcity value of the tokens may increase, potentially providing price support. For ETH and SOL holders who do not participate in staking, they may benefit directly; the final returns for stakers will depend on the balance between the decrease in rewards and the increase in prices. Zach Pandl concluded that ETH and SOL are becoming important digital commodities supporting stablecoins and the tokenization of real assets, and the economic model adjustments aimed at reducing inflation may further strengthen their scarcity attributes.

Venture capital fund Team8 announced the completion of a new fundraise of $365 million. This round of fundraising includes $265 million for Team8 Capital's third fund, as well as over $100 million for follow-on investments in existing portfolio companies.The new fund will focus on investing in seed and Series A stage AI-native companies, covering areas such as cybersecurity, AI infrastructure, and fintech, with a particular emphasis on infrastructure projects that help businesses deploy AI while ensuring security, governance, and control capabilities. Team8 currently manages assets close to $2 billion.Previously, Team8 has co-invested in several cryptocurrency and AI companies, including cryptocurrency institutional wallet developer Curv, AI compliance platform IVIX, and AI data leak prevention company Jazz.

According to exclusive information from Intelligent Era AGI, DeepSeek is actively recruiting for emotional intelligence data product manager positions, with a daily salary of 510 yuan. The role is responsible for optimizing DeepSeek's model performance in emotional scenarios, enhancing the realism and immersion of role-playing and emotional interactions, and deeply exploring Badcases in emotional scenarios for attribution analysis.This recruitment information indicates that DeepSeek is expanding from basic capabilities like programming towards emotional interactions that are closer to human language. The product positioning is similar to Doubao, aiming to create a more "personalized" AI model system, rather than being limited to programming scenarios. Previously, DeepSeek launched the Harness preview version for developers on August 13. According to Citigroup's research report and Analysys data, the current market competitor WorkBuddy has surpassed 20 million cross-platform MAU, with 20.97 million monthly visits on the PC side. DeepSeek has not yet provided details on specific product planning for emotional AI.

According to a report by Reuters, influenced by multiple factors such as the tense Sino-U.S. relations, China's push for domestic software alternatives, and U.S. export controls, Microsoft has closed at least 15 branches and joint ventures in China over the past five years, executing a strategic contraction. In 2023, the company internally considered exiting the Chinese market, as some executives believed that "the geopolitical risks outweighed the limited economic returns," but ultimately did not proceed with the exit. Microsoft disclosed in 2024 that its business in China accounted for only about 1.5% of its global revenue.The report states that Microsoft's final decision to remain in China was primarily due to the establishment of a profitable path—providing Azure cloud and AI services to Chinese companies like ByteDance and Shein, helping them operate compliantly in overseas markets. Additionally, the company believes that retaining its business in China remains strategically significant for acquiring engineering talent. However, analysts question the sustainability of this AI business model: the service relies on third-party models like OpenAI, and Chinese companies are increasingly adopting domestic alternatives like Kimi, which offer comparable performance at lower costs.Microsoft's research and development presence in China is also contracting. Its predecessor, Microsoft Research Asia, has successively established new labs in Vancouver, Singapore, and Tokyo. In 2024, the company offered job opportunities to 1,000 top engineers to relocate to the U.S. and three other countries, but only about one-third accepted, with most senior engineers moving to domestic universities and tech companies. A Microsoft spokesperson responded that the company will continue to commit to the Chinese market but did not comment on specific decision details. ByteDance and Shein did not respond to related inquiries.

According to SoSoValue data, the cryptocurrency market sector showed mixed results, with the DeFi sector performing prominently, rising by 1.04%. Among them, Hyperliquid (HYPE) rose by 1.74%, and Chainlink (LINK) rose by 2.42%. The Meme sector increased by 0.7% in 24 hours, with Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) rising by 9.04% and Pump.fun (PUMP) rising by 8.76%.In other sectors, the PayFi sector rose by 0.4%, with eCash (XEC) increasing by 1.56%. The Layer1 sector rose by 0.2%, with Cosmos Hub (ATOM) increasing by 8.71%. Additionally, the CeFi sector fell by 0.07%, but Cronos (CRO) remained relatively strong, rising by 1.07%. The Layer2 sector decreased by 0.97%, while Optimism (OP) rose by 4.11%. The cryptocurrency sector index reflecting historical market trends shows that the ssiAI, ssiDeFi, and ssiMeme indices rose by 1.93%, 1.29%, and 1.28%, respectively.

According to monitoring by Catcher Predict, in the event "Clacton By-Election: Farage's Vote Share" on the prediction market Polymarket, the "Yes" option in the sub-market "Farage 60--70%" has experienced significant fluctuations in winning probability, soaring from 28.85% an hour ago to the current 67.75% (a fluctuation of 38.9%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.

According to monitoring by Catcher Predict, in the event "Clacton By-Election: Farage's Vote Share" on the prediction market Polymarket, the "Yes" option in the sub-market "Farage 80%+" has experienced significant fluctuations in winning probability, plummeting from 48.5% an hour ago to the current 30.5% (a fluctuation of 18%). Please note the impact of related breaking news.

According to Gate market data, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and then rose sharply this morning. After opening more than 150 points down in the early session, it surged back, recovering losses and turning positive. As of the midday close, the Hang Seng Index rose by 0.07%, reporting at 25,457.33 points, while the Tech Index rose by 0.3%, reporting at 4,790.56 points. The total market turnover reached HKD 132.028 billion, with strong performance in the computing hardware sector. In terms of individual stocks, Cambridge Technology rose by 15.37%, and Shengbang Technology rose by 7.69%.

Grayscale's research director Zach Pandl released a report stating that despite the recent pressure on Bitcoin's price, Grayscale believes its adoption rate will continue to rise in the medium to long term for three reasons:First, the unsustainable growth of U.S. government debt is raising inflation and currency devaluation risks, which may drive various investors towards scarce assets and value storage tools; second, stablecoins and tokenization will make blockchain ubiquitous in financial services. As technology spreads, more intermediaries will have the infrastructure and regulatory conditions necessary to hold and trade Bitcoin, and Bitcoin will no longer be structurally isolated from the mainstream financial system; third, younger investors show a significantly higher preference for digital assets, and alternative investments have become a standard component of investment portfolios. Institutions, wealth management platforms, and individuals will continue to incorporate Bitcoin into diversified portfolios through tools such as exchange-traded products, a process that is already underway.Grayscale emphasizes that this bear market has not changed its expectations for the continued rise in Bitcoin's adoption rate.

Rosherville Pty Ltd, a shareholder of the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), has notified the ASX of its intention to apply to the Federal Court for permission to initiate a statutory derivative action against certain former ASX officials and directors. If approved, Rosherville will sue on behalf of the ASX. The ASX stated that the relevant lawsuit does not accuse the ASX itself, but has not disclosed the identities of the former officials involved, the specific obligations allegedly violated, or the remedies sought. The Federal Court has not yet considered whether the case can proceed.The ASX has been advancing a blockchain-based CHESS clearing and settlement system replacement project since 2016, which was suspended in November 2022 and abandoned the blockchain solution in May 2023. On July 3, 2026, the Federal Court ordered the ASX to pay a fine of $14.4 million and $2.1 million in litigation costs to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

Hawaii will implement a cryptocurrency ATM ban effective October 1, becoming the fourth state in the United States to enact such a ban, aimed at addressing the significant losses caused by digital asset fraud.

Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan announced on August 12 on the X platform that Travis VanderZanden has joined Polymarket as Chief Growth Officer.It was reported that Travis V. previously served as the Head of Driver Growth at Uber, Chief Revenue Officer at Yammer, and founded and served as CEO of the bike-sharing company Bird.

According to a report by Cryptonomist, GSR's market director Spencer Hallarn stated in an interview that the hype around tokenization has surpassed the actual usage on many platforms. The issue lies not in the market's demand for tokenized assets, but in the design of the platforms themselves. He pointed out that many walled garden-style tokenization platforms with strict KYC requirements generally lack meaningful trading volume, as cumbersome access and compliance processes limit activity.Hallarn believes that the real opportunity is not in tokenizing for the sake of tokenization, but in fixing the underlying pipelines of traditional banking and settlement systems, specifically the infrastructure for transferring funds and assets between institutions. This would make tokenization more of an infrastructure repair rather than merely a narrative of crypto products.He also mentioned that the stagnation in the crypto market this year is largely due to funds shifting towards AI infrastructure, with large tech companies raising substantial amounts of capital for AI infrastructure through equity financing, tightening the liquidity of various assets, and crypto is no exception. Its clients are also shifting from chasing short-term momentum to long-term budget planning, over-the-counter hedging, and RWA. If AI investment cools down and the Federal Reserve lowers interest rates, liquidity is expected to improve and support Bitcoin prices.

Qianwen's former technical director Lin Junyang announced the establishment of a new company, Pragmatic Technology, in Shanghai, focusing on the research direction of next-generation intelligent agents that span the digital and physical worlds.He also revealed that Gao Rong Venture Capital and HSG (Sequoia China) jointly led this round of financing, with support from Tencent and the Shanghai Future Industry Fund. According to informed sources, the "this round of financing" mentioned by Lin Junyang refers to the angel round financing of Pragmatic Technology, with a valuation of 2 billion dollars.