Bitcoin is currently priced at $96,983, up +2.54% in the past 24 hours, while Ethereum trades at $3,455, up +2.89%. The Fear and Greed Index decreased to 74 (Greed) today reflecting bullish market sentiment. The crypto ecosystem saw major changes and a bullish sentiment as 2024 ended and 2025 just started. Ethereum ETFs crossed $2.6B in net inflows in December. Solana restaking advanced with a new governance LAYER token and a dedicated foundation called Solayer. Furthermore, there’s approximately $7B worth of tokens unlocks in January 2025. NFTs pushed their annual volume to $8.8B in 2024. This report examines each sector in a clear and concise manner.
What’s Trending in the Crypto Community?
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Morgan Stanley's E-Trade is exploring cryptocurrency trading services.
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Telegram added features like converting gifts into NFTs and third-party verification.
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Ethereum ETF Net Inflows Exceed $2.6B in December 2024
Read more: BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF IBIT Gains $329M Amid Bitcoin Dip
Crypto Fear & Greed Index | Source: Alternative.me
Trending Tokens of the Day
Top 24-Hour Performers
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+24.35% |
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+7.97% |
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+4.47% |
Ethereum ETF Net Inflows Exceed 2.6B in December 2024
Total net inflows into Ethereum ETFs exceeded $2.6B in December according to Farside Investors. November and December saw eight consecutive weeks of inflows. CoinShares recorded a single-week inflow high of 2.2B on Nov. 26. BTC ETFs continued to lead the market with 35B in net inflows by late 2024. Some analysts believe ETH ETFs could outperform BTC ETFs in 2025 if price action and staking yields grow. Since November ETH has outperformed BTC in spot and derivatives markets. BTC ETFs saw record outflows on Dec. 19. Matt Hougan from Bitwise said that proliferation of AI agents will likely boost ETH usage. He noted that Ethereum and Base are where many AI agents operate.
Source: Farside Investors
Top funds included BlackRock’s iShares Ethereum Trust with $3.5B in 2024 net inflows and Fidelity Ethereum Fund with $1.5B. Grayscale Ethereum Trust saw $3.6B in outflows in 2024. It charges a 1.5% management fee. Grayscale also introduced a cheaper Ethereum Mini Trust in July. A parallel pattern appeared in Bitcoin ETFs. BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust posted $37B in inflows in 2024. Grayscale Bitcoin Trust had over 20B in outflows. Asset manager VanEck anticipates ETH’s spot price will reach 6000 by Q4 2025.
Ethereum Inflows 2024 Source: Farside Investors
Read more: What Is ai16z AI Agent Ecosystem on Solana?
Solana Launches Restaking Protocol Solayer and LAYER Token
Source: Solayer.org
Solayer Foundation launched to support the Solana restaking protocol named Solayer. The LAYER governance token is also being introduced with a planned claim event. Solayer Labs posted the following quote:
“To support the next phase of our journey we are thrilled to announce the Solayer Foundation an independent non-profit organization dedicated to advancing protocols that drive SVM scaling the upcoming LAYER token and Season 1 claim”
Solayer is modeled after the EigenLayer restaking method on Ethereum ETH +3.02%. Restaking lets users lock up staked assets again in AVSs to increase rewards. The protocol ranks 12th on Solana SOL +7.15% per DeFiLlama. LAYER is an SPL-2020 token aimed at governance and ecosystem growth. Solayer Labs added more details about LAYER’s functionality will arrive later. It also noted a three-phase token distribution process.
“Distribution of the LAYER token will take place over three phases. The first phase will conclude with the Solayer Season 1 for all eligible participants and protocol partners. Eligible participants will receive a prompt in the Solayer dashboard advising them of their eligibility and requiring them to accept the terms and conditions.”
Solayer Labs is backed by Polychain Capital, Binance Labs and Solana co-founder Anatoly Yakovenko. It raised 12M in seed funding last August.
Read more: Restaking on Solana (2024): The Comprehensive Guide
$7B In Token Unlocks in January 2025
Data from Tokenomist indicates $7B worth of tokens will be unlocked in January. This amount comprises cliff unlocks and linear unlocks. Cliff unlocks release large sums at once while linear unlocks distribute daily. The first week will see about 1B released. The third week will see $3.7B distributed between Jan. 13 and Jan. 19.
On Jan. 1 the market observed 64.19M SUI tokens worth $270M allocated to investors, community reserves and the Mysten Labs treasury. ZetaChain unlocked 54M ZETA tokens worth 42M for growth initiatives, advisory roles and liquidity incentives. Other major unlocks in January include Kaspa at $182.23M tokens worth $20M on Jan. 6, Ethena at 12M tokens worth $12.16M on Jan. 8, and Optimism with 31.34M tokens worth 57M on Jan. 9.
Several projects run daily linear unlocks. Solana unlocks about $14M worth of tokens daily. Worldcoin releases $12.4M per day. Celestia unlocks $5.1M each day. Dogecoin releases 4.63M daily. Avalanche releases $4.02M daily. Polkadot distributes 2.94M worth of tokens daily.
Similarly, ZetaChain unlocked 54 million ZETA tokens, valued at $42 million, to fund growth initiatives, advisory roles, and liquidity incentives.
Other significant unlocks this month include:
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Kaspa (KAS): Releasing 182.23 million tokens worth $20 million on Jan. 6.
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Ethena (ENA): Unlocking 12 million tokens worth $12.16 million for ecosystem development by Jan. 8.
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Optimism (OP): Distributing 31.34 million tokens valued at $57 million by Jan. 9.
Linear Unlocks
Linear unlocks, which distribute tokens daily, add a steady stream of new supply throughout the month, led by several high-profile projects.
Key projects in this trend include:
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Solana (SOL): Unloading $14 million worth of tokens daily.
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Worldcoin (WLD): Releasing $12.4 million per day.
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Celestia (TIA): Unlocking $5.1 million daily.
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Dogecoin (DOGE): Releasing $4.63 million daily.
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Avalanche (AVAX): Unlocking $4.02 million per day.
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Polkadot (DOT): Distributing $2.94 million daily.
NFT Resurgence To $8.8B in Sales in 2024
Source: CryptoSlam.io
NFTs recorded a total 2024 sales volume of 8.8B surpassing 2023 by 100M or a 1.1% increase. Ethereum and Bitcoin each held 3.1B in NFT sales for 2024 while Solana posted 1.4B. Ethereum remains the leader in all-time NFT sales with 44.9B. Solana stands at 6.1B. Bitcoin-based NFTs reached 4.9B.
The Runes protocol on Bitcoin dominated transactions in April 2024 by surpassing 753,000 transactions or 80% of Bitcoin-based activity on April 23. December saw a decline in Runes usage with its share dropping to an average of 9%. Apart from Dec. 25 at 19.9% it did not see significant activity.
Some proclaimed NFTs dead in 2024 after a seven-month slump but many survived and thrived. Animoca Brands Chairman Yat Siu and OKX global chief commercial officer Lennix Lai predict continued NFT growth in 2025 despite regulatory tests.
Conclusion
These developments highlight a fast-moving crypto environment with several innovations and market shifts. Ether ETFs gained notable traction and Solana restaking platforms expanded. Token unlocks continue to affect near-term pricing. NFTs regained momentum despite macroeconomic challenges. Market observers see 2025 as a year of further growth if yields improve and network usage remains strong.
Read more: Ethereum ETFs Surge to $2.6B, Aave Hits Record Deposits of $33.4B, and NFTs Rebound: Jan 2
