Hey there, PoI readers! 💫

It's your favorite crypto connoisseur, Mochi, back with another fresh serving of tech and Web3 news. Today we've got a DeFi protocol waving the white flag, Crypto.com flexing its AI credentials, Logan Paul breaking records and the internet simultaneously, and Kraken going full Uncle Crypto by funding baby savings accounts. A little bit of everything — just the way we like it. So grab your beverage of choice, get comfortable, and let's dive in!

INTEL BRIEF

🟧 DeFi lending protocol ZeroLend is shutting down after the Ethereum Layer-2 blockchains it operated on became too illiquid and inactive to sustain the business.

🟧 Crypto.com has become the first digital asset platform to receive ISO/IEC 42001 AI certification, as it doubles down on artificial intelligence as a core part of its business.

🟧 Logan Paul sold his rare Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon card for a record-breaking $16.5 million, but the sale reignited controversy over his 2022 NFT fractionalization of the same card.

🟧 Crypto exchange Kraken is sponsoring Trump Accounts for Wyoming newborns, citing the state's crypto-friendly regulations as the reason it calls Wyoming home.

ZeroLend Pulls the Plug After Its Blockchains Turned Into Ghost Towns

ZeroLend. The decentralized lending protocol has officially announced it's winding down operations after three years of building — and apparently, the blockchains it was built on decided to ghost everyone first.

ZeroLend's founder, known only as "Ryker" (very mysterious, very Web3), broke the news on X, citing a brutal combination of illiquid chains, inactive networks, and oracle providers pulling the plug on supported blockchains. For the uninitiated, oracles are the little data-fetching services that keep DeFi protocols alive — when they leave, things get dark fast.

ZeroLend focused heavily on Ethereum Layer-2 blockchains, which were once the golden child of Ethereum's scaling roadmap. But even Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently suggested his original Layer-2 vision "no longer makes sense," noting that scaling should shift back to mainnet. Tough timing for anyone who bet big on L2s.

Making matters worse, hackers and scammers apparently took notice as the protocol grew, adding to the already razor-thin margins that DeFi lending is notorious for. The result? Prolonged periods of operating at a loss.

At its peak in November 2024, ZeroLend held nearly $359 million in total value locked. Today? A humbling $6.6 million, per DefiLlama. The ZERO token has also dropped 34% in 24 hours and has shed nearly all its value since its May 2024 peak.

Ryker is urging all users to withdraw funds immediately, while promising smart contract upgrades to help free any assets stuck on deteriorated chains. Users affected by a February 2024 exploit on Base blockchain will reportedly receive a partial refund via airdrop.

ZeroLend is shutting down after illiquid Layer-2 chains, oracle pullouts, and hacker activity made operations unsustainable.

TVL cratered from $359M to $6.6M; the ZERO token dropped 34% in 24 hours.

Users are urged to withdraw funds ASAP; exploit victims from Feb 2024 will receive a partial refund via airdrop.

Crypto.com Just Bagged a Global AI Certification and It Is Coming for the AI Industry

Crypto.com just did something no digital asset platform has done before — and no, it's not another Super Bowl ad. The exchange has officially secured the ISO/IEC 42001:2023 certification, an international standard for AI systems management, making it the first crypto platform to hold this distinction. Fancy title, very real implications.

The certification, according to Crypto.com's information security chief Jason Lau, ensures that every AI system the company builds is "secure, transparent, and aligned with emerging regulatory expectations." Translation: they want regulators to know they're playing it straight before the rulebook even gets written.

But Crypto.com isn't just collecting certifications for the trophy case. The company is actively expanding AI as one of its three core business lines, recently launching software development kits, tailored data services, and — most notably — ai.com on February 9th, an AI agent platform that lets users build autonomous agents capable of handling everyday tasks like trading and managing workflows. Basically, little digital employees that never sleep, never complain, and definitely don't ask for a raise.

CEO and co-founder Kris Marszalek framed the bigger vision boldly, describing the goal as building a "decentralized network of autonomous, self-improving AI agents that perform real-world tasks for the good of humanity." Big words — we'll see if the agents agree.

Crypto.com isn't alone in this AI race. Rival Coinbase launched crypto wallet infrastructure on February 11th specifically designed for AI agents to spend, earn, and trade crypto autonomously. The AI agent wars in crypto are officially heating up.

Crypto.com is the first digital asset platform to receive ISO/IEC 42001 AI certification, signaling serious commitment to secure AI development.

The company launched ai.com on Feb. 9, an AI agent platform where users can build autonomous agents for trading and workflow management.

Coinbase is also in the AI agent race, having launched crypto-compatible wallet infrastructure for AI agents on Feb. 11.

Logan Paul Pocketed 8 Million Dollars on a Pikachu Card and the NFT Drama Followed Him There Too

Only Logan Paul could sell a Pokémon card for $16.5 million, set a Guinness World Record, and still somehow end up in the hot seat. But here we are.

The card in question is the legendary Pikachu Illustrator — one of only 39 ever created as part of a 1990s competition — and it's now officially the most expensive Pokémon card ever sold. The winning bid came from AJ Scaramucci, son of financier Anthony Scaramucci, beating out several other offers in the seven- and eight-figure range. Paul, who originally purchased the card for $5.3 million in July 2021, is believed to have walked away with roughly $8 million in profit after auction fees. Not bad for a Pikachu.

But the celebration didn't last long before the internet showed up with receipts. Back in 2022, Paul fractionalized ownership of the very same card on a platform called Liquid Marketplace, allowing investors to buy a piece of the rare collectible. The platform later went offline, investors couldn't access their funds, and a lawsuit followed in Canada — brought by the Ontario Securities Commission in June 2024, with a hearing scheduled for this June.

Delphi Labs general counsel Gabriel Shapiro called it a "classic case of slop tokenization" on X, arguing the tokens held no actual legal rights to the card. Paul has pushed back, claiming the platform went offline for reasons outside his control and that he personally funded the site's restoration so users could withdraw funds.

This also isn't Paul's first NFT rodeo — his CryptoZoo project famously imploded, spawned a class-action lawsuit in 2023, and was only dismissed in 2025 after a buyback program was established. A 0N1 Force NFT he bought for $635,000 is now reportedly worth under $2,000. Ouch.

Meanwhile, the broader NFT market cap has dropped over 50% since early 2026, falling from $3.2 billion to $1.55 billion, with marketplaces Rodeo and Nifty Gateway both shutting down in January.

Logan Paul sold the Pikachu Illustrator card for $16.5M, setting a Guinness World Record and netting an estimated $8M profit.

The sale reignited controversy over his 2022 NFT fractionalization of the same card; an Ontario Securities Commission lawsuit hearing is set for June.

The broader NFT market has dropped 50% since early 2026, with multiple marketplaces shutting down amid the slump.

Kraken Is Sponsoring Baby Savings Accounts in Wyoming Because Why Not

JPMorgan, there's a new player at the baby shower. Kraken, one of the US's biggest crypto exchanges, has announced it will be funding Trump Accounts for newborns in Wyoming — and honestly, it might be the most wholesome crypto headline we've seen in a while.

For those unfamiliar, Trump Accounts are a new type of savings plan that parents or legal guardians can set up for children under 18. Under a federal pilot program, the government seeds each account with $1,000 for any child born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028. Traditional finance giants like JPMorgan, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo have already thrown their support behind the initiative — and now crypto is officially at the table too.

The news was first announced by Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis, who praised Kraken for investing in the state's next generation. Kraken co-CEO Dave Ripley explained the decision, pointing to Wyoming's crypto-friendly regulatory environment as the reason the exchange chose the state for its global headquarters in the first place.

Wyoming's track record with crypto is no accident — the state enabled Kraken to become the US's first Special Purpose Depository Institution and played a key role in launching the Frontier Stable Token. Kraken, it seems, wants to return the favor.

Notably, Kraken has not disclosed the exact funding amount per newborn, so we're all left wondering whether that's a dollar and a dream or something more meaningful.

And Kraken isn't alone in the crypto-gives-back movement. Polymarket opened a free grocery store in New York City last week and pledged to donate 3 million meals across the five boroughs, following a $50 grocery giveaway by prediction-market rival Kalshi to over 1,000 Manhattan residents on February 3rd. Apparently, crypto is having a generosity moment — we're here for it.

Kraken is funding Trump Accounts for Wyoming newborns, citing the state's crypto-friendly regulations and its status as Kraken's global HQ.

Trump Accounts are seeded with $1,000 per child born between 2025–2028 under a federal pilot program.

Polymarket and Kalshi are also giving back, with free groceries and meal donations across New York City.

And that's a wrap, my lovely PoI readers! I hope today's edition left you feeling informed, entertained, and maybe just a little wiser about the wild world of crypto and tech. Whether you're watching DeFi protocols sunset, cheering on AI agent innovation, side-eyeing NFT drama, or just happy a baby somewhere in Wyoming is getting a savings account — there's never a dull day in this space. Stay curious, stay sharp, and keep your wallets safer than Logan Paul's NFT investments.

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

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