Industry Insights
Macroeconomic Shifts: The Federal Reserve's 50-basis-point rate cut in September 2024 lowered the federal funds rate to 4.75%–5%, creating favorable conditions for decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Bitcoin's appeal as a hedge against monetary expansion grew, with spot ETFs attracting $21.3 billion in net inflows.
Ethereum's Stability & Growth:
- Daily active users: ~480,000
- Daily transactions: 1.2 million
- Stablecoin utilization on lending platforms: 87% (USDC, USDT, DAI)
The upcoming Pectra upgrade aims to enhance security and efficiency, further boosting DeFi activity.
Public Chain Innovations:
- Sui Network: TVL surpassed $1.4B, with DEX volume hitting $180M daily.
- Memecoin Surge: AI-themed memecoins exceeded $2B market cap, driving Solana to 6.9M daily active users.
- Parallel Blockchains: Projects like Monad and aPriori optimize scalability with EVM-compatible architectures.
Q3 Investment Highlights
OKX Ventures prioritized infrastructure projects across:
- Bitcoin & Ethereum ecosystems
- AI and data platforms
- High-performance L1 networks
Key Portfolio Projects
| Project | Focus Area | Innovation |
|-----------------|--------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| zkLink | Multi-chain DeFi | ZK-powered L3 for cross-chain liquidity |
| Monad | Scalable L1 | 10,000 TPS, EVM-compatible |
| aPriori | MEV Optimization | Auction-based block space allocation |
| Space and Time | Decentralized Data | SQL Proof for on/offchain analytics |
| Prodia | AI Generation | Distributed GPU cloud for content creation |
Deep Dive: Top Performers
1. zkLink
👉 Explore zkLink’s ZK-Rollup technology
- Solves liquidity fragmentation via L3 zkEVM
- Partners include major DeFi protocols
2. Monad
- Achieves 1-second finality with async execution
- Reduces gas fees by 99% vs. Ethereum L1
3. Prodia’s AI Tools
- Generates images/music via Stable Diffusion APIs
- Web3-native distributed computing network
Market Outlook
Growth Drivers:
- Institutional adoption of Bitcoin ETFs
- Ethereum’s Pectra upgrade (Q1 2025)
- AI-memecoin cultural convergence
Risks:
- Macro volatility post-rate cuts
- Regulatory clarity for MEV and staking
FAQ
Q: How does Monad achieve 10,000 TPS?
A: Through optimistic parallel execution and EVM compatibility.
Q: What’s unique about Space and Time’s data model?
A: It verifies SQL queries onchain via cryptographic proofs.
Q: Why invest in AI memecoins?
A: They bridge speculative trading with generative AI utilities like GOAT.
👉 Discover OKX Ventures’ full portfolio
Disclaimer: This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. © 2025 OKX. Excerpts must cite "OKX Ventures Q3 Report" with attribution.
**Optimized Elements:**
- **Keywords:** Bitcoin ETF, Ethereum upgrade, AI memecoins, zkLink, Monad, DeFi liquidity