Crypto sector performance was mixed on Sept. 7, according to SoSoValue, with the AI segment posting the strongest gain over the past 24 hours. The sector rose 2.10%, led by Bittensor (TAO), which climbed 10.03%, and Pieverse (PIEVERSE), which added 5.18%. Major cryptocurrencies moved slightly lower during the same period. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped 0.11% and fell back below $80,000, while Ethereum (ETH) also declined 0.11% and held near $2,500. Other sectors also recorded gains, including DeFi, Layer2, PayFi, and Layer1. Within those groups, Raydium (RAY), Celestia (TIA), Zcash (ZEC), and Injective (INJ) were among the strongest performers. On the downside, CeFi fell 1.87% and Meme lost 2.26%, with Binance Coin (BNB), Pons (PONS), and MarsCoin (MARSCOIN) all posting losses. SoSoValue’s sector indexes tracking historical performance also moved higher for ssiAI, ssiDeFi, and ssiLayer2.

Shanghai police disclosed a virtual-asset-related economic crime case on Aug. 27 involving more than 200 million yuan in alleged proceeds, nine suspects, and five arrests approved on suspicion of illegal business operations. The case centers on two platforms: one for cross-border currency exchange and another for virtual card issuance and settlement. Users could top up with virtual currency, exchange across multiple currencies, apply for virtual cards, and repay consumption. The key issue is not whether a virtual card can exist, but how many regulated financial functions a platform has taken on once stablecoins are added to the product stack. According to the report, the scheme involved collecting virtual currency overseas, converting it into foreign currency, and completing settlements through false cross-border settlement arrangements. That makes the case relevant not only to USDT-to-fiat exchange, but also to cross-border payment, settlement flows, and the role of the domestic team. The article lays out six money-flow checks that Web3 payment teams can use to assess whether a product has crossed the line.

YZi Labs on Aug. 25 unveiled the 24 startups selected for Season 4 of EASY Residency, its incubation program for early founders in Web3, AI and biotech. Each company will receive a $500,000 investment. In coverage of the cohort, Odaily identified nine names that already offer some form of participation path for users, ranging from points campaigns and waitlist applications to product trials and onchain deposits. The list includes Neutral Trade, Primus, Roostoo, SmartX, Alloco, XHunt, Nara, ElfomoFi and Liquorice. Among them, Neutral Trade has a live points system tied to its Autopilot Deposit campaign, while Primus has launched a Kaito Warm Up content campaign with an $8,000 reward pool. Other projects are at earlier stages, such as waitlist sign-ups, Telegram community access, browser extension usage or deposit-only product access without a points program. Odaily said the projects were ordered by the current number of tasks users can complete.

YZi Labs has unveiled 24 new early-stage investments from the fourth season of EASY Residency, with each company receiving $500,000 through the incubation program. In a PANews market analysis piece, columnist Lianjin Shushu sorted the list from a retail user’s perspective rather than an institutional investment one. The screening focused on three questions: whether a project has a public-facing entry point, whether current participation can leave a measurable on-chain or account record, and whether the team has introduced user incentives such as points, rewards, competitions, or referrals. Based on that framework, the article highlighted Neutral Trade, Primus, Roostoo, SmartX, and Alloco as the most notable projects for early interaction. Neutral Trade was described as the clearest case because its Neutral Autopilot already ties deposits to NT Points, including a 2x points campaign. Primus was singled out for its Kaito Warm Up Campaign, which runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 8 with an 8,000 USDC reward pool. Roostoo, while not yet offering a confirmed token or point system, has opened waitlist, mock trading, and competition features that could make user activity easy to track. The analysis also noted that Nara, ElfomoFi, Liquorice, and XHunt are already usable but do not currently show clear point or airdrop structures. The author closed with a caution that points do not guarantee a token, and YZi Labs’ investment does not mean an airdrop is assured.

Data from SoSoValue showed a broad pullback across the crypto market after a sharp rebound, with Layer2 standing out as the only relatively resilient sector over the past 24 hours. The segment rose 1.13%, led by Stacks (STX), which gained 16.73%, and Polygon (POL), up 6.29%. Among major cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin (BTC) fell 1.10% and slipped below $79,000, while Ethereum (ETH) dropped 1.61% and moved below $2,500. Other sectors were mostly in the red. DeFi declined 0.38%, with Ethena (ENA) down 7.78%, though Hyperliquid (HYPE) posted a 1.89% gain. CeFi fell 1.65%, with OKB down 3.12%. Layer1 lost 2.39%, as Zcash (ZEC) dropped 6.44%. Meme tokens fell 3.42%, although SPX6900 (SPX) rose 13.33% against the trend. PayFi recorded the steepest sector decline in the report, down 3.99%, while Dash (DASH) fell 10.10%.

On Aug. 24, SoSoValue data showed the crypto market moving sideways, while the NFT sector stood out with a 4.93% gain over the past 24 hours. Pudgy Penguins (PENGU) rose 12.28% and SuperVerse (SUPER) gained 10.12%, while ApeCoin (APE) fell 1.09%. Bitcoin (BTC) slipped 0.03% and broke below $78,000, while Ethereum (ETH) rose 0.43% and stayed above $2,400. Other stronger areas included RWA, Layer2 and DeFi, with sector indexes for ssiNFT, ssiRWA and ssiAI also higher.

Pharos’ consumer credit vault hit its $50 million deposit cap within 48 hours of launch, with about $35 million in committed deposits when it went live. The article argues that the real story is not a new DeFi lending pool, but the early state of on-chain consumer credit itself: a $21 trillion global market in 2025 that still lacks standardized, institution-ready products onchain. What is missing, it says, is the middle layer — asset selection, credit structuring, ratings, legal documentation, and distribution — not the blockchain rails alone.

Real-world asset activity and stablecoin policy both moved this week. As of Aug. 14, 2026, on-chain RWA market capitalization reached $38.29 billion, while the number of holders climbed to 1.7935 million, according to RWA.xyz data cited by PANews. In stablecoins, total market value slipped slightly to $297.91 billion, but transfer volume and monthly active addresses both fell, pointing to a quieter on-chain period even as holder counts kept growing. On the policy side, the People’s Bank of China said in its 15th Five-Year reform and development plan that it will steadily develop the digital yuan. In Europe, officials decided to revise the Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, or MiCA, with a focus on the market access rules that have left non-EU stablecoin issuers such as Tether outside the bloc. The U.K. advanced the second phase of its digital pound lab and also began work on a regulatory framework for tokenized gold. At the project level, Anchorpoint, the Hong Kong licensed stablecoin issuer backed by Standard Chartered, HKT and Animoca Brands, launched the first phase of issuance and institutional use for HKDAP. HashKey Exchange and OSL joined as recognized distributors. Elsewhere, NYSE, Itaú Unibanco, Coinbase, LG CNS, Miden, Dow Protocol and Rain each disclosed new tokenization, stablecoin or funding developments during the week.