Crypto markets posted broad-based declines on July 17, according to SoSoValue, with the DeFi sector leading losses among major categories. The sector fell 5.08% over the past 24 hours, as Hyperliquid (HYPE) dropped 10.28%, DeXe (DEXE) lost 4.83%, and Aave (AAVE) fell 6.12%. Beldex (BDX) was an outlier, rising 6.61% during the same period. Among large-cap assets, Bitcoin (BTC) declined 1.79% and fell below $64,000, while Ethereum (ETH) dropped 3.53% and slipped under $1,900. Other segments of the market also moved lower. Layer2 fell 0.63%, though Mantle (MNT) gained 3.16%. CeFi was down 0.94%, with Cronos (CRO) rising 8.68% intraday. PayFi lost 2.32%, with Zcash (ZEC) down 6.88%. Layer1 fell 2.41%, led by a 4.64% decline in NEAR Protocol (NEAR). The Meme sector dropped 2.57%, while Bonk (BONK) fell 5.70%. Sector indices tracking historical performance also weakened, with ssiDeFi, ssiSocialFi, and ssiAI down 5.97%, 4.24%, and 3.56%, respectively.

Crypto sectors posted mixed moves on July 16, with the broader market showing a narrow trading range, according to SoSoValue. The RWA segment led the market with a 24-hour gain of 6.40%, helped by a 15.92% rise in Ondo Finance (ONDO) and a 2.87% increase in Centrifuge (CFG). Among major tokens, Bitcoin (BTC) rose 0.19% and briefly moved above $65,000 during the session, while Ethereum (ETH) gained 2.92% and climbed past $1,900. Other advancing sectors included DeFi, up 0.96% with ZeroLend (ZERO) surging 28.87%, and PayFi, up 0.32% as eCash (XEC) added 13.68%. On the weaker side, SocialFi recorded the largest decline, down 2.43%, with Gram (GRAM) slipping 2.36%. Meme fell 0.07% even as Pump.fun (PUMP) rose 1.53%, CeFi lost 0.13% while Mantle (MNT) gained 1.69%, Layer1 dipped 0.23% with Injective (INJ) up 3.24% intraday, and Layer2 dropped 0.34% as MegaETH (MEGA) advanced 2.39%. Sector indexes tracking historical performance showed ssiRWA, ssiDeFi, and ssiLayer1 up 7.43%, 2.17%, and 1.24%, respectively.

AXON Finance, a high-performance AI-native PayFi Layer 1 blockchain, said it has completed a new institutional funding round totaling $2 million. Infinite Alliance led the round with a $1 million investment, while UZ Capital and Bluemount Foundation contributed the remaining $1 million. The company said the proceeds will be used to speed up construction of AXON’s L1 infrastructure and support the launch of its first open ecosystem product, described as a U.S. stock copy-trading engine. According to the announcement, AXON will provide L1 settlement and account abstraction infrastructure for the product and open access to prediction platform ecosystems. The company said this setup is designed to create a closed loop in which prediction platforms bring user traffic while AXON captures stablecoin yield activity, helping it accumulate on-chain traffic and total value locked, or TVL.

Crypto market sectors posted mixed moves over the past 24 hours, according to SoSoValue data cited by ChainCatcher. The NFT segment led gains with a 4.50% rise, while Audiera (BEAT) climbed 15.29%. The AI sector added 0.84%, with Billions Network (BILL) up 24.00%, and the DeFi sector rose 0.42%, led by a 26.88% gain in DeXe (DEXE). CeFi and Layer1 also edged higher, up 0.19% and 0.03%, respectively. Cronos (CRO) rose 0.48% in CeFi, while Zcash (ZEC) advanced 4.02% in Layer1. On the losing side, PayFi fell 0.59% even as eCash (XEC) gained 10.64%. Meme dropped 0.61%, though Pump.fun (PUMP) rose 6.57%. Layer2 declined 0.94% with Stacks (STX) down 4.54%, and SocialFi fell 1.98% as Chiliz (CHZ) lost 2.91%. Sector indexes tracking historical performance also moved higher, with ssiAI, ssiCeFi, and ssiLayer1 up 1.52%, 0.57%, and 0.54%, respectively.

MetYa announced a 1:1 token swap from $MET to $MY starting on Nov 5, 2025, with free withdrawals in the first week. The rebranding aims to enhance its AI, SocialFi, and PayFi capabilities for global expansion.

The 2025 Hong Kong Web3 Festival, scheduled for April 6-9, reveals a packed four-day agenda featuring over 30 sessions on DePIN, AI, RWA, PayFi, and crypto finance, with speakers including Vitalik Buterin, Lily Liu, and top regulators.

Remittix ICO is closing in on $15 million, selling tokens at $0.0734. The PayFi platform supports over 40 cryptos for fiat transfers, targeting the $190 trillion remittance market. Early adopters see it as a potential XRP rival due to its consumer-friendly approach and zero hidden fees.

RWA Summit Hong Kong 2026 will be held on February 12-13, bringing together 500+ institutional investors and 50+ speakers to discuss tokenization, stablecoins, DePIN, and TradFi integration. Confirmed speakers include HSBC, Animoca Brands, and government officials.