Gate Research: Ethereum Staking Demand Rebounds Significantly | AIA Token Jumps Over 200% in a Day

Crypto Market Overview

• BTC (-7.02% | Price: 89,004 USDT): BTC continued its weak and range-bound performance over the past day, pulling back from recent highs and trending lower along short-term moving averages. Price is currently hovering around $89,000, with near-term pressure still evident. The moving average structure has turned clearly bearish, with MA5 and MA10 crossing below MA30 and all three diverging downward, indicating that the short-term trend has yet to stabilize. The MACD remains below the zero line with the fast and slow lines maintaining a bearish crossover; although bearish momentum has shown signs of contraction, there is no clear reversal signal yet. Overall, BTC remains in a weak consolidation phase within a downward channel. Failure to reclaim the $90,500–91,000 range may keep downside risks focused on the $88,000 support area, while a volume-backed recovery above MA10 and MA30 would be required to ease downside pressure and trigger a technical rebound.
• ETH (-4.03% | Price: 2,964 USDT): ETH has underperformed BTC, extending a stepwise decline and retreating to around $2,960, with short-term bearish momentum remaining pronounced. The moving average system has shifted into a clear bearish alignment, as MA5 and MA10 continue to slope downward and MA30 has also turned lower, acting as dynamic resistance. The MACD stays below the zero line with expanding negative histogram bars, suggesting that bearish momentum has not yet fully played out and limiting near-term rebound potential. Overall, ETH remains in a weak recovery phase within a broader downtrend. Failure to hold above the $3,000 psychological level may expose price to further tests of the $2,900–2,920 support zone; only a sustained move back above MA10 would signal a gradual transition toward a consolidation phase.
• Altcoins: The Fear & Greed Index has fallen back to 24, re-entering the “Extreme Fear” zone and weakening significantly from last week’s neutral readings, reflecting a broad contraction in market risk appetite.
• Macro: On January 20, the S&P 500 fell 2.06% to 6,796.86, the Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 1.76% to 48,488.59, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 2.39% to 22,954.32. As of January 21 at 2:30 AM (UTC), spot gold was trading at $4,839.38 per ounce, up 1.59% over the past 24 hours.

Trending Tokens

AIA DeAgentAI (+270.15%, circulating market cap: $27.10 million)

According to market data, AIA is currently priced at $0.27314, up approximately 270.15% over the past 24 hours. DeAgentAI is an application-focused project built around AI agents and decentralized autonomous collaboration, aiming to connect creators, developers, and community participants through intelligent agent mechanisms, while using token-based incentives to drive content creation, model interaction, and ecosystem expansion.

The sharp rally in AIA was primarily driven by sentiment resonance following a series of short-term catalysts. On one hand, the team launched a limited-time “loyalty airdrop” campaign in collaboration with a hardware wallet brand, offering physical rewards to early node participants and long-term supporters, significantly boosting community engagement and visibility. On the other hand, creative competitions and high-reward incentives around “AI Power Week” continued to gain traction, driving content output and user interaction. In addition, news that AIA perpetual contracts are set to launch on a derivatives trading venue may have strengthened expectations around improved liquidity and market depth.

MBG MBG by Multibank Group (+30.45%, circulating market cap: $58.01 million)

According to market data, MBG is currently trading at $0.4696, up 30.45% over the past 24 hours. MBG is the core token within the Multibank Group ecosystem, positioned as a bridge between traditional financial infrastructure and on-chain asset systems, serving as a unified value carrier across digital asset services, financial application entry points, and group-level ecosystem coordination. MBG is explicitly positioned as the “core anchor” of the Multibank Group ecosystem, supporting future product expansion, ecosystem rights, and potential incentive mechanisms, with an overall narrative emphasizing regulatory compliance, long-term development, and multi-financial-scenario integration.

This round of gains was driven by the concentrated release of key information, which significantly lifted market expectations. On one hand, the project has continued to signal an upcoming transition into a new ecosystem phase, highlighting the launch of more practical features and application scenarios, reinforcing MBG’s long-term utility within the group ecosystem. On the other hand, growing discussion around macro themes such as “bringing traditional financial infrastructure on-chain” and “24/7 tokenized stock trading” has positioned Multibank Group-related initiatives as potential beneficiaries.

ARC AI Rig Complex (+27.20%, circulating market cap: $82.37 million)

According to market data, ARC is currently priced at $0.08268, up approximately 27.20% over the past 24 hours. AI Rig Complex is an application-oriented project focused on AI developer tools and creator infrastructure. Its core product, Rig, is designed to enhance the composability and feedback efficiency of AI and software development workflows, emphasizing a positive feedback loop between builders and the systems they create. The project centers on real developer needs, continuously iterating around AI toolchains, modular components, and community-driven improvements, with the ARC token serving as the ecosystem’s value carrier to incentivize contributions, support product evolution, and enable potential ecosystem collaboration.

ARC’s recent price increase was mainly driven by sentiment recovery following the release of development progress updates and community signals. On one hand, core team members reviewed the project’s product evolution and technical accumulation over the past year, strengthening market confidence in its long-term roadmap and execution capability. On the other hand, expectations around continued feature delivery, rapid responsiveness to community needs, and upcoming larger-scale updates have brought renewed attention to the developer-focused narrative.

Alpha Insights

Ethereum staking demand rebounds, staked ratio approaches 30%

Ethereum’s staking structure has undergone a clear shift. The unstaking queue has fallen to near zero, indicating minimal near-term exit pressure or liquidity release risk, while the staking entry queue has climbed to approximately 2.6 million ETH, the highest level since July 2023. Against this backdrop, on-chain data shows that nearly 30% of the total ETH supply is now staked, highlighting a continued rise in medium- to long-term lock-up ratios, a tightening supply structure, and a simultaneous strengthening of validator stability and network security.

From a broader perspective, the rebound in staking activity is not driven by a single factor but reflects a structural allocation dynamic. On one hand, more stable price behavior and limited short-term selling pressure have reduced the opportunity cost of staking. On the other hand, in an environment of ongoing macro uncertainty, the predictable yield offered by staking remains attractive to medium- and long-term capital. In addition, the development of Layer 2 solutions, restaking, and staking derivatives has improved liquidity and capital efficiency, lowering the friction associated with long-term lock-ups. Taken together, the clearing of the unstaking queue, the surge in the entry queue, and the staked ratio approaching 30% suggest that Ethereum’s staking system is transitioning from a defensive holding posture toward a more mature and sustainable long-term allocation phase.

K33 launches crypto-backed lending services as listed companies accelerate compliant crypto finance adoption

Listed company K33 has announced the launch of a crypto-backed lending service using Bitcoin and Ethereum as collateral. In the initial phase, the service will be available only to selected qualified clients, with loans issued in stablecoins such as USDC. This model allows holders to access liquidity without selling their assets, balancing capital efficiency with tax and position management considerations, and reflecting the evolution of crypto financial services toward more mature and controllable structures.

At a deeper level, K33’s move represents not only a product expansion but also an exploration of digital asset balance sheet management by a publicly listed company. K33 has stated that it will include its own Bitcoin holdings in the operation of the lending service, combining collateralization, lending, and yield management to build a digital asset solution capable of generating sustainable returns. This approach enhances asset utilization while expanding revenue streams within a compliant framework. Overall, K33’s crypto lending initiative underscores how traditional capital market institutions are increasingly transforming crypto assets from passive holdings into cash-flow-generating financial assets, offering a reference path for institutional-grade crypto finance.

Solana staking ratio hits a new all-time high, reinforcing network security and long-term holding incentives

Solana’s staking ratio has risen to 68.8%, marking a new all-time high and indicating that more than two-thirds of the circulating SOL supply is now staked. This level reflects growing validator participation and further strengthens the network’s security and decentralization foundations. A higher staking ratio reduces freely circulating supply, helping to ease short-term selling pressure and making price dynamics more influenced by medium- and long-term capital behavior.

From a multi-factor perspective, the increase in Solana’s staking ratio is closely linked to both ecosystem development and economic incentives. Relatively stable and attractive staking yields encourage holders to lock up tokens for the long term rather than engage in frequent trading, while the expansion of Solana’s ecosystem across DeFi, DePIN, and high-performance application scenarios has strengthened expectations for the network’s long-term value. At the same time, a high staking ratio concentrates governance and validation power among long-term participants, supporting system stability while also raising higher requirements for validator distribution and decentralization. Overall, the record-high staking ratio suggests that Solana is transitioning from a trading-driven phase toward one anchored in long-term value and infrastructure development.


References

• Gate, https://www.gate.com/trade/BTC_USDT
• Farside Investors, https://farside.co.uk/btc/
• Gate, https://www.gate.com/trade/ETH_USDT
• Farside Investors, https://farside.co.uk/eth/
• Gate, https://www.gate.com/crypto-market-data
• Investing, https://investing.com/indices/usa-indices
• Investing, https://investing.com/currencies/xau-usd
• X, https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2013506982292959311?s=20
• K33, https://k33.com/ir/article?slug=k33-launches-crypto-backed-loans-deploying-bitcoin-treasury-to-generate-yield-and-expand-product-offering
• X, https://x.com/Cointelegraph/status/2013574921847247071?s=20

Gate Research is a comprehensive blockchain and cryptocurrency research platform that provides deep content for readers, including technical analysis, market insights, industry research, trend forecasting, and macroeconomic policy analysis.

Disclaimer
Investing in cryptocurrency markets involves high risk. Users are advised to conduct their own research and fully understand the nature of the assets and products before making any investment decisions. Gate is not responsible for any losses or damages arising from such decisions.