BlackRock CEO: There Is No AI Bubble, Rate Cut Is Fully Justified

On January 16th, Kaito founder Yu Hu posted on X, announcing that KAITO will phase out YAPS and incentive-based rankings while launching KAITO Studio. KAITO Studio will function more like a traditional tiered marketing platform, where brands will selectively partner with creators based on predefined criteria and a clear project scope.

January 16 — Per The Wall Street Journal, the crypto industry and U.S. banking sector are locked in a fierce lobbying fight over yield-bearing digital tokens, a clash that threatens to derail legislative efforts to integrate cryptocurrencies into the mainstream financial system. At issue is what crypto firms call “yield” — regular interest payments tied to a holder’s stake, a mechanism common in stablecoins. From the banking side, offerings like Coinbase’s ~3.5% yield on stablecoins are viewed as analogous to high-yield deposits, but without the strict regulatory rules banks face when accepting public funds. Banking groups have sent multiple letters to lawmakers warning yield-bearing stablecoins could devastate U.S. small and midsize banks. By contrast, the current national average interest rate for U.S. interest-bearing checking accounts remains below 0.1%. This debate was among the reasons the Senate Banking Committee delayed a vote on its crypto market structure bill, originally

As of January 15, per HTX market data, KAITO temporarily dropped more than 13%—likely driven by reports that X is revising its API policy to revoke access for users posting applications on the platform and eliminate associated rewards. The token is currently trading at $0.595.

On January 15, X Product Lead and Solana Ecosystem Advisor Nikita Bier said: “We’re updating our developer API policy—we will no longer allow apps that reward users for posting on X (also called ‘InfoFi’). This practice has already led to a ton of low-quality AI content and reply-chain spam on the platform.” “We’ve revoked API access for these apps, so your X experience will improve quickly (once bots realize there’s no more money to be made from posting).” “If your developer account was terminated as a result, please reach out to us—we’ll help you migrate your business to Threads and Bluesky.”

Jan. 15 — BNY Mellon is launching a suite of tokenized products, per Bloomberg. The firm will develop tokenized money market funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and cash products including tokenized deposits and stablecoins. Joerg Ambrosius, BNY Mellon’s head of investment services, noted the digital asset platform launch is a “significant step” in the firm’s strategy. BNY Mellon, which oversees $51.7 trillion in assets, has previously provided management and accounting services for crypto ETFs and partnered with Galaxy Digital last December to create tokenized funds. The firm plans to evaluate offering custody services down the line, pending regulatory developments.

On January 15, Coinbase’s Bitcoin Premium Index (per Coinglass data) turned positive after 8 consecutive days of negative premiums, currently at 0.0023%. **BlockBeats Note**: The Coinbase Bitcoin Premium Index measures the gap between Bitcoin’s price on Coinbase (a leading U.S. exchange) and the global market average. It’s a key indicator of U.S. market capital inflows, institutional investment interest, and shifts in market sentiment. - A positive premium means Coinbase’s Bitcoin trades above the global average, typically signaling: ? Strong U.S. market buying pressure ? Active inflows of institutional or compliant capital ? Ample USD liquidity ? Dominantly optimistic investor sentiment - A negative premium means Coinbase’s price is below the global average, often reflecting: ? Heightened U.S. market selling pressure ? Diminished investor risk appetite ? Rising market risk aversion ? Capital outflows