Web3 Deep Dive: NFTs, DeFi, and Cryptocurrency Explained podcast.
# Web3 Deep Dive: This Week in Crypto
Hey everyone, Crypto Willy here, and we've got some wild stuff happening in the Web3 space right now. Let me break down what's been going down.
First up, the NFT market is showing some serious signs of life. According to CryptoSlam.io, we've seen $85 million in trading volume over the past week—that's a massive 30% jump from the previous week. Bitcoin-based NFTs are absolutely crushing it right now, with collections built on Bitcoin Runes, BRC-20, and Ordinals surging 185% to hit $31 million in volume. Ethereum's not sleeping either, posting a solid 37% increase to $28 million. Top collections like Pudgy Penguins and the legendary Bored Ape Yacht Club are showing serious momentum. The total NFT market cap hit $1.07 billion, which is huge considering where we were just days ago.
But here's where it gets real talk—despite this incredible bounce, NFT Paris and RWA Paris have both been cancelled for 2026. Yeah, you read that right. After four successful years, the organizers cited market collapse as the reason, even with all this recent positive action. It's a reminder that the NFT space still has some serious recovery work ahead after that brutal 2025 downturn.
On the DeFi and infrastructure side, things are getting interesting. Chainwire, the crypto-native press release distribution platform, just announced a strategic partnership with CULTD—an "Attention-to-TVL" engine based in Tel Aviv. What does that mean? They're literally connecting media visibility to on-chain impact. Chainwire guarantees homepage placement on outlets like The Block, Decrypt, and CryptoSlate, while CULTD converts that attention into real liquidity, staking, and swaps. It's basically solving what they call the "Liquidity Vacuum" that hits projects right after their token launch. For Web3 founders, this integration means a 10% discount on Chainwire services and real "Economic Intent" metrics showing investors actual wallet connections instead of vanity metrics.
Looking at the altcoin space, RENDER surged 57% over the past week, riding the wave of renewed interest in AI-focused cryptos. XCN also popped 41% in a single day, though it's bouncing around some serious resistance levels. The broader sentiment? According to analysis from the first week of January, macro conditions have turned neutral to bullish, especially following how financial markets responded to geopolitical events.
Looking forward, the NFT industry is positioning itself with some solid trends. AI-curated NFT collections are becoming standard, gaming tokenization is exploding—the NFT gaming market is valued at $471.90 billion and projected to hit $942.58 billion by 2029—and DeFi integration with NFTs is creating entirely new use cases.
The crypto space is shifting too. We're moving from "crypto natives" who get excited about tech alone to "crypto curious" people who care about actual utility and value. That's the maturation we need to see stick around.
Thanks so much for tuning in to this week's deep dive—this has been a Quiet Please production. Come back next week for more of the latest Web3 updates, and make sure you check out QuietPlease.ai for all your crypto intelligence needs. Stay based, friends!
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