Monday🌕Web3 Buzz: Shiba Inu’s Treat Token, AI Showdown, Japan’s BTC Ambitions, and Bitcoin Bond ETF!

Kickstart Your Week with the Latest in Web3! Happy Monday, Web3 enthusiasts! The blockchain world never sleeps, and today’s headlines are proof of its unstoppable momentum. From Shiba Inu unveiling exciting updates to thought leaders like OpenAI's Sam Altman and Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin sparking debates on AI's future, the space is buzzing with innovation. Meanwhile, Japan’s Metaplanet makes bold moves toward a massive Bitcoin reserve, and Strive takes a step closer to launching a Bitcoin Bond ETF. Let’s dive into these stories shaping the Web3 ecosystem and uncover what’s driving the next wave of digital transformation.

1. Shiba Inu confirms Treat Token launch date

After delays since 2022, the Shiba Inu network has confirmed the launch of its much-anticipated TREAT token on January 14, 2025. Seen as a key to decentralizing the ecosystem, TREAT will provide exclusive access to new features like cutting-edge payment solutions and virtual collaboration tools. Despite prior market confusion and fake tokens, the official launch brings clarity. Shytoshi Kusama plans to discuss TREAT’s value and its role in the Shiba Inu ecosystem on his upcoming podcast. Expect the token to drive further excitement and potential price movement for SHIB!

Shiba Inu Team Confirms the Launch Date of Treat Token

Find out when the Shiba Inu (SHIB) network will roll out the much awaited TREAT token into the market. Is it sooner than you can expect?

Watcher GuruSahana Kiran

2. Altman vs. Buterin: Competing visions for AI

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, announced that the company is on track to build AGI and superintelligence, aiming for AI agents to join the workforce by 2025. With OpenAI’s rapid growth to 300 million weekly active users, AGI development is accelerating. However, Ethereum’s Vitalik Buterin stresses the need for AI safety, proposing a blockchain-based failsafe system, including a "soft pause" mechanism to prevent uncontrolled AI growth. Buterin’s approach focuses on decentralized safety, prioritizing human agency and global cooperation. The debate between rapid innovation and cautious development intensifies in the tech world.

OpenAI’s Altman, Ethereum’s Buterin Outline Competing Visions for AI’s Future - Decrypt

Sam Altman has emphasized OpenAI’s readiness to build out AGI this year as Vitalik Buterin cautions a need for robust safety mechanisms.

DecryptVince Dioquino

3. Japan’s Metaplanet targets 10K BTC by 2025

Metaplanet, a Japanese investment firm, aims to acquire 10,000 BTC by the end of 2024, leveraging capital market tools and strategic partnerships. Since April, the firm has shifted to make Bitcoin a core treasury asset, similar to firms like MicroStrategy. In addition to expanding its Bitcoin holdings, Metaplanet is driving adoption through global partnerships, including an exclusive deal with BTC Media to launch Bitcoin Magazine in Japan. The firm’s growing Bitcoin reserves, coupled with its hotel business, have boosted its financial outlook, forecasting significant revenue and profit growth in 2024.

Japan’s Metaplanet Gears Up for a 10K BTC Stash in 2025

Metaplanet said it plans to grow its Bitcoin holdings to 10,000 BTC by year-end, leveraging advanced capital market tools.

CryptonewsShalini Nagarajan

4. Strive files for a Bitcoin Bond ETF

Strive Asset Management, co-founded by Vivek Ramaswamy, is set to launch a Bitcoin Bond ETF. The ETF will invest in bonds issued by companies like MicroStrategy, which has invested over $27 billion in Bitcoin. The actively managed fund will focus on convertible securities, with at least 80% of its exposure tied to Bitcoin bonds from companies expected to invest proceeds into Bitcoin. Strive's move comes as its profile rises, with Ramaswamy gaining visibility as an ally of Donald Trump. The fund will be managed by Matthew Cole and Strive's portfolio team.

Strive files to launch ‘bitcoin bond’ ETF

Filing says active ETF would invest in bonds issued by companies such as MicroStrategy

Financial TimesAlf Wilkinson

The Web3 space continues to evolve at lightning speed, with projects like Shiba Inu and Metaplanet pushing boundaries, and visionaries like Altman and Buterin shaping the future of AI. As Bitcoin ETFs inch closer to reality, the blockchain ecosystem is teeming with innovation and opportunities. Stay curious, stay informed, and let’s ride the wave of transformation together.

WEB3 AI ML