Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite tech-savvy scoop server, Mochi, back with another delicious serving of web3 and tech news that's hotter than a GPU mining at full capacity! From Jupiter's BlackRock-backed stablecoin flex and Flow's $3.9M copy-paste disaster to Uganda trying (and failing) to stop Bitchat and CES 2026's AI extravaganza, we've got a smorgasbord of digital drama to dig into. So grab your coffee ☕, settle in, and let's dive into today's chaos!

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 Jupiter launches JupUSD, a Solana-native stablecoin backed 90% by BlackRock's BUIDL fund and 10% by USDC, partnering with Ethena Labs for reserve management.

🟧 Flow blockchain suffered a $3.9M exploit in December when an attacker duplicated tokens through a protocol flaw, prompting a network halt and governance-led recovery.

🟧 Bitchat developer Calle dismissed Uganda's threat to block the decentralized messaging app before elections, as over 400,000 Ugandans downloaded it to prepare for potential internet shutdowns.

🟧 CES 2026 showcased major tech announcements including Nvidia's Rubin architecture and autonomous vehicle AI, AMD's new processors, and plenty of quirky AI-powered gadgets from companies like Razer.

Jupiter Drops a Stablecoin Backed by BlackRock and Solana Just Got Way More Serious

Jupiter just entered the stablecoin chat with some serious backing. The Solana-based DeFi protocol has launched JupUSD, and this isn't your average "trust me bro" stablecoin. This bad boy comes with BlackRock's stamp of approval (kind of).

Here's the deal: 90% of JupUSD's reserves are chilling in USDtb, a stablecoin that's collateralized by shares of BUIDL—BlackRock's tokenized money-market fund. The remaining 10% sits in USDC as a liquidity buffer, because you always need a little cushion for the pushin', right? Jupiter teamed up with Ethena Labs (the folks behind USDe and USDtb) to handle reserve operations, custody coordination, and all that grown-up financial stuff.

What makes JupUSD interesting is how it integrates into Jupiter's DeFi ecosystem. Deposits into Jupiter's lending product mint a yield-bearing version that keeps earning returns even while you're using it for limit orders or dollar-cost averaging. Pretty slick! Jupiter also plans to integrate JupUSD into its perpetuals platform, gradually phasing out USDC collateral.

The stablecoin is issued as an SPL token (Solana's token standard), meaning it plays nice with other Solana apps. Reserves are custodied by Porto through Anchorage Digital and are verifiable onchain—so you can actually check the receipts. For institutions and market makers, there's onchain minting and redemption against USDC through single-transaction settlement.

Since the announcement, Jupiter's native token JUP has pumped about 18% over the past week. Coincidence? Probably not. The stablecoin market is heating up, and Jupiter just threw its hat in the ring with some heavyweight backing.

Jupiter launched JupUSD, a Solana-native stablecoin backed 90% by BlackRock's BUIDL fund and 10% by USDC

Ethena Labs manages reserves while Porto/Anchorage Digital handle custody with onchain verification

JupUSD integrates across Jupiter's DeFi stack including lending, perpetuals, and trading features—JUP token up 18% since announcement

Someone Found a Way to Duplicate Tokens on Flow and It Cost Them $3.9 Million

The blockchain that brought us NBA Top Shot and was supposed to be the future of NFTs? Well, they just had a pretty rough December. The Flow Foundation dropped a post-mortem report detailing a $3.9 million exploit that went down on December 27th, and honestly, it's a wild ride.

Here's what happened: An attacker found a protocol-level flaw in Flow's Cadence runtime that let them basically hit Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V on tokens. Instead of properly minting new assets, they were able to duplicate existing ones, completely bypassing supply controls. Think of it like a glitch in a video game where you can duplicate rare items—except this time, it's real money.

The good news? No existing user balances were drained. The attacker wasn't stealing from wallets; they were just creating counterfeit tokens out of thin air. Within six hours of the first sketchy transaction, validators pulled the emergency brake and halted the network. Exchange partners also froze most of the counterfeit assets before they could be cashed out. Talk about crisis management!

Flow went into read-only mode for two days while they figured things out, then resumed operations under an "isolated recovery" plan. A governance-approved process authorized the destruction of the counterfeit tokens, and more than 99% of accounts retained full access throughout the whole ordeal. The Foundation has since patched the vulnerability, added stricter checks, and is working with law enforcement.

But here's the kicker: FLOW token took a 40% nosedive in five hours after the hack, hitting a low of $0.075 before recovering to around $0.10. Ouch. This comes after Flow's glory days when it peaked above $40 in 2021 during the NFT boom and raised $725 million from big-name investors like a16z.

Flow suffered a $3.9M exploit on Dec. 27 when an attacker duplicated tokens through a protocol flaw—no user balances were directly drained

Network halted within 6 hours, exchanges froze counterfeit assets, and governance-led recovery destroyed duplicated tokens

FLOW token crashed 40% post-hack and has fallen from $40+ peak in 2021 to current $0.10, now outside top 300 cryptos by market cap

Uganda Says They'll Block Bitchat But 400,000 Downloads Say Good Luck With That

Uganda's government is threatening to shut down Bitchat—Jack Dorsey's decentralized messaging app—ahead of next week's presidential election, and one of the app's developers just essentially said "good luck with that, mate."

Here's the tea: Over 400,000 Ugandans have downloaded Bitchat after opposition leader Bobi Wine encouraged locals to install it as a backup plan in case the government pulls its classic move of shutting down the internet during elections (which they've done before in 2016 and 2021). Uganda's Communications Commission executive director, Nyombi Thembo, confidently claimed his team has the "technical know-how" to turn off Bitchat, adding that it's "a small thing."

Narrator voice: It was not, in fact, a small thing.

Developer Calle clapped back on X with some serious big decentralization energy: "You can't stop Bitchat. You can't stop us." He urged Ugandan developers to contribute to open-source projects and dropped the mic with "We don't need anyone's permission to write code. Free and open source. Unstoppable. From the people for the people."

What makes Bitchat so hard to kill? It uses Bluetooth mesh networks for encrypted communication without needing internet. No central servers, no accounts, no email addresses, no phone numbers, and no infrastructure dependencies. It's basically the cockroach of messaging apps—you can't squash it.

This isn't Bitchat's first rodeo either. Nearly 50,000 Nepalese users downloaded it during corruption protests in September to bypass social media bans. Madagascar saw similar surges, and it became the second-most downloaded app in Jamaica during Hurricane Melissa when internet access went kaput.

Uganda has a history of internet blackouts during elections, so Bitchat could be a legit lifeline for citizens wanting to communicate freely. The question now: Can Uganda actually shut it down? Spoiler: Probably not.

Over 400,000 Ugandans downloaded Bitchat ahead of elections after opposition leader urged citizens to prepare for potential internet shutdowns

Uganda's Communications Commission threatened to block the app, but developer Calle responded saying "You can't stop us"

Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networks with no central servers or infrastructure dependencies, making it nearly impossible to shut down—previously used during crises in Nepal, Madagascar, and Jamaica

CES 2026 Was All About AI From Nvidia's Robot Push to Razer's Weird Desk Companion

CES 2026 is officially underway in Las Vegas, and as expected, AI is absolutely everywhere. But don't worry—there's still plenty of that classic CES weirdness we all know and love. Let's break down the biggest moments from the show floor.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang kicked things off with his signature marathon presentation, showing off the Rubin computing architecture—the next-gen replacement for Blackwell that's set to roll out in the second half of this year. Rubin brings speed and storage upgrades to handle the insane computational demands AI is creating. Nvidia also unveiled its Alpamayo family of open-source AI models designed for autonomous vehicles hitting the roads this year. Basically, Nvidia wants to become the Android for robots and self-driving cars. Bold move.

AMD Chair and CEO Lisa Su delivered the show's first keynote, featuring heavy hitters like OpenAI President Greg Brockman and AI legend Fei-Fei Lei. The highlight? AMD's Ryzen AI 400 Series processors, which are designed to expand AI reach through personal computers. Translation: Your laptop is about to get a whole lot smarter.

In the robotics corner, Boston Dynamics and Google announced they're teaming up to train and operate Atlas robots using Google's AI research lab. A new iteration of Atlas was shown on stage, and honestly, those robots are getting scarily capable.

Amazon doubled down on AI with Alexa+, launching Alexa.com for early access customers and rolling out a revamped bot-focused app. They also announced updates to Fire TV and new Artline TVs, all with that Alexa+ push. Oh, and Ring got a bunch of upgrades too—fire alerts, third-party camera integration via an app store, and more.

Now for the weird stuff: Razer dropped Project Motoko, which aims to work like smart glasses without the actual glasses (we're intrigued), and Project AVA—an AI companion that sits on your desk as an avatar. Yes, really. Check the concept video if you dare.

Finally, Lego made its first-ever CES appearance with Smart Play System—bricks, tiles, and Minifigures that interact and play sounds. The debut sets are Star Wars-themed, naturally.

Nvidia unveiled Rubin architecture (replacing Blackwell in H2 2026) and Alpamayo AI models for autonomous vehicles—pushing to become infrastructure leader for robots

AMD showcased Ryzen AI 400 Series processors for AI-powered PCs; Boston Dynamics/Google partnered on Atlas robots; Amazon expanded Alexa+ to web and apps

Razer announced Project Motoko (smart glasses without glasses) and Project AVA (desk AI companion); Lego debuted interactive Smart Play System at first CES appearance

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! 🎬 I hope this edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe just a little bit smarter about the wild world of tech and web3. Remember to stay curious, stay skeptical of governments claiming they can "turn off" decentralized apps, and keep those security patches updated! 🔒

Until next time, this is Mochi, signing off with a virtual high-five!

P.S. Don't forget to share your thoughts, questions, and favorite crypto puns with us. very voice matters in the PoI community! 📣❤️ Share the newsletter

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