GM. Ethereum launched the ERC-8004 standard to give AI agents onchain identities and portable reputations, enabling autonomous machines to trade across decentralized networks.

Meanwhile, Fidelity announced an Ethereum-based stablecoin called FIDD, the UK banned "irresponsible" Coinbase ads, and the HYPE token surged 60% amid a commodity trading boom.

Here are the details on AI standards, banking tokens, and ad bans. 👇

Ethereum Deploys ERC-8004 To Standardize AI Agents

Ethereum developers led by Marco De Rossi and Davide Crapis are finalizing the deployment of the pioneering ERC-8004 standard. This foundational architecture establishes a trustless framework for autonomous AI agents to operate within the decentralized economy.

The mainnet activation triggers on 29 January 2026 at approximately 09:00 ET across the global Ethereum network infrastructure. This strategic launch follows months of collaborative drafting between the Ethereum Foundation, Google, Coinbase, and the MetaMask team.

Leadership initiated this specific protocol to dismantle siloed machine intelligence by providing every agent a portable and censorship-resistant identifier. These common rails allow diverse software entities to discover peers and verify credibility without requiring centralized gatekeepers.

The proposal achieves this synergy through three lightweight registries managing digital identities, feedback reputations, and cryptographic validation requests. Each agent receives a unique NFT passport that tracks its verifiable historical performance across all interoperable blockchain organizations.

Fidelity To Launch Stablecoin on Ethereum In Coming Weeks

Fidelity Investments announced that it will launch a new Ethereum-based stablecoin called the Fidelity Digital Dollar. This specific token, branded as FIDD, targets both retail and institutional customers seeking institutional grade security for onchain settlement. The firm plans to manage all reserves through its internal asset management arm to ensure a 1:1 redemption ratio.

This strategic rollout follows the recent passage of the US GENIUS Act, which provided federal guardrails for digital payment assets. Fidelity Digital Assets president Mike O’Reilly noted that regulatory clarity was a milestone for the broader industry. The company first began researching blockchain infrastructure in 2014 and expects the new stablecoin to improve global financial performance.

UK Regulator Bans Coinbase Ads Over Economic Satire

Britain’s advertising watchdog banned a major Coinbase marketing campaign this Wednesday for trivializing the risks of digital asset investment. The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the satirical ads irresponsibly presented cryptocurrency as a solution to prevalent financial concerns. These specific materials included a musical video and posters that referenced rising living costs and stagnant wages across the country.

The regulator received 35 complaints from consumers who felt the messaging targeted vulnerable individuals during an acute period of financial pressure. Coinbase defended the campaign as an obvious satire intended to provoke discussion about the current state of the global financial system. However, the agency ordered that the advertisements must not appear again in their current form without prominent risk warnings.

Hyperliquid Native Token Surges Over 60% This Week

The HYPE token jumped more than 60% over the past seven days as trading activity on Hyperliquid continued to break records. Data showed that open interest across the platform’s HIP-3 decentralized exchanges pushed above $935 million this Wednesday. This momentum was fueled by an explosion in commodities-focused derivatives as precious metals like silver hit new all-time highs.

Newly created wallets have reportedly accumulated nearly 290,000 HYPE tokens worth roughly $9.8 million as institutional demand for the asset increases. Hyperliquid recently activated an upgrade allowing third-party developers to deploy their own permissionless perpetual markets while sharing core liquidity. Analysts observe that these derivatives indicators have turned constructive as daily trading volumes reached a milestone of $1.78 billion.

Data of the day

The daily count of active Solana validators fell below 800 this week, marking a multi-year low for the network. This contraction represents a decline of over 65% since the network's peak of approximately 2,500 active nodes in early 2023. Consequently, the volume of validator voting transactions has dropped by 40% as smaller operators struggle to cover rising infrastructure costs.

Contributors to this attrition include changing economic incentives and the gradual reduction of voting cost support from the Solana Foundation. While validator numbers have plunged, non-vote transactions from decentralized exchanges and token transfers remain stable at 100 million per day. This divergence suggests that while user activity is high, the economic viability of running independent nodes is becoming increasingly difficult.

More breaking news

• Ripple launched its corporate treasury platform following a $1 billion acquisition to integrate traditional cash management with blockchain cross-border settlement infrastructure.

• Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev argued that moving stocks onchain would solve outdated infrastructure issues by enabling real-time settlement for retail investors.

• South Dakota Representative Logan Manhart introduced a bill to allow the state to invest up to 10% of its funds into Bitcoin.

• Ethereum researchers proposed FOCIL as the lead feature for the Hegota upgrade to harden network censorship resistance against centralized block production intermediaries.

• Bitcoin mining stocks surged over 11% after a severe US winter storm reduced network competition, considerably boosting profitability for well-capitalized miners remaining online.

• WisdomTree expanded its full suite of tokenized funds to Solana, offering retail and institutional investors regulated onchain access to diverse asset classes.

• Social NFT marketplace Rodeo announced its closure alongside Nifty Gateway as the prolonged market downturn forces several NFT platforms to cease their operations.

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