VanEck, a leading global investment firm, has announced the launch of its new SUI Exchange-Traded Note (ETN). This innovative product, listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Paris, offers investors a unique opportunity to gain exposure to the burgeoning Sui blockchain without directly holding its native token, SUI.
Sui’s Meteoric Rise
Sui, a high-performance Layer 1 blockchain developed by Mysten Labs, has been making significant strides in the cryptocurrency market. Its recent achievement of $28 billion in decentralized exchange (DEX) trading volume by November 13, 2024, underscores its rapid growth and increasing popularity.
This impressive trading volume, nearly triple that of its competitor Aptos, has fueled speculation about Sui’s potential price surge. If the current bullish trend persists, the blockchain could see its token price soar to $5, representing a substantial gain from its current level of $3.18.
VanEck’s SUI ETN – A Simplified Approach
VanEck’s SUI ETN provides investors with a convenient and regulated way to participate in the growth of the Sui ecosystem. By investing in the ETN, individuals can bypass the complexities of directly holding SUI tokens, such as setting up cryptocurrency wallets and navigating volatile markets.
“Sui’s fast finality of transactions bridges the gap between traditional Web2 and decentralized Web3,” explained Martijn Rozemuller, CEO of VanEck Europe. “The blockchain’s use of the Move programming language, combined with its high-speed transaction processing, makes it an attractive platform for a wide range of applications.”
Risk and Reward
While the SUI ETN offers a simplified approach to investing in Sui, it’s essential to acknowledge the inherent risks associated with cryptocurrencies. VanEck has emphasized the extreme volatility of digital assets and the uncertainty surrounding regulatory frameworks in many jurisdictions.
Despite these risks, the potential rewards for early investors in the Sui ecosystem are significant. The blockchain’s strong technical foundation, coupled with its growing user base and developer community, positions it as a promising player in the future of decentralized finance and Web3.
As Sui continues to gain traction and mature, VanEck’s SUI ETN provides a compelling opportunity for investors to capitalize on the blockchain’s potential upside, while mitigating some of the risks associated with direct token ownership.
Coinbase-backed Base, an Ethereum Layer 2 network, is set to undergo significant upgrades to make it faster, cheaper, and more decentralized.
Jesse Pollak, the lead developer of Base, posted the network’s upgrade plans on X on May 24.
Base Targets Overhaul That Could Challenge Solana and Sui
The Coinbase executive explained that the improvements would scale Base to meet rising demand from both users and developers
According to Pollak, the team is working to reduce transaction confirmation times to 200 milliseconds and keep network fees consistently under $0.01.
Those two goals are part of a broader plan to process over 200 transactions per second in the short term. Pollak confirmed that Base ultimately aims to reach 1 million TPS.
Pollak also stressed that Base is moving toward a more decentralized architecture. The plan involves shifting key components of the protocol, such as the base state transition logic, directly onto Ethereum’s Layer 1 via smart contracts.
This change would allow multiple independent developers and validators to shape the network’s evolution.
Base is undergoing several infrastructure upgrades to support these enhancements. The goal is to make it the most scalable and user-friendly Ethereum Layer 2 network.
A central part of the upgrade is Flashblocks, a system that enables near-instant “preconfirmation blocks” to give users a faster and smoother experience. The team is already running testnet trials and expects to introduce the update on mainnet by summer 2025.
The Coinbase-backed network also intends to expand its gas throughput. Base is targeting a rise from the current 25 million gas per second (Mgas/s) to 50 Mgas/s in Q2, eventually reaching 250 Mgas/s by the end of the year. This would mark a 100-fold improvement over its original capacity.
In 2025, AI agents became the newest obsession for crypto market participants. They were integrated into decentralized finance (DeFi), gaming, infrastructure, and even DAO governance, touted as the next evolution of Web3 intelligence.
With this in mind, BeInCrypto contacted OORT CEO Dr. Max Li for his perspective on whether these autonomous, machine-learning-driven software acting on behalf of users could reshape crypto. Li had some interesting insights, but warned that real-world adoption, security, and regulation are the biggest hurdles ahead.
The AI Agent Gold Rush: Disruption or Distraction?
Data from the AI Agents Directory indicates an average monthly increase of 33% in the number of AI agents.
However, despite the growing interest, Web3-based artificial intelligence solutions still account for a minimal fraction (3%) of the overall AI agent ecosystem.
According to Dr. Max Li, founder and CEO of decentralized cloud network OORT, the space is moving faster than its infrastructure can handle, pointing to models like ElizaOS (formerly ai16z).
Yet, in his opinion, the broader playing field is not ready. He says the core infrastructure, from decentralized storage to tokenized agent marketplaces, is still under construction.
The Real Bottleneck? Security, Not Speed
While scalability is often seen as crypto’s weakness, Max Li says security and compliance are bigger threats. This is especially true when tokenizing AI outputs like computing, decision-making, or real-time data.
Dr. Li added that tokenized AI raises difficult questions. Who owns the data that the agents generate? How can decentralized systems comply with global data laws like GDPR? And what happens when AI agents interact with sensitive personal or financial information on-chain?
“These may already be more significant barriers than scalability,” Dr. Li warned.
The OORT executive emphasized that without clear custodianship or compliance frameworks, the risks extend beyond crypto to regulators, investors, and end-users.
Enterprise Adoption Isn’t Coming Anytime Soon
The industry often claims AI agents will bring real-world industries on-chain. However, Dr. Li says it is still a fantasy, particularly in the public blockchain.
He explained that while enterprises like Walmart could benefit from AI for internal operations, there is little incentive to tokenize those agents. Traditional firms want efficiency and control, not decentralized tokens wrapped around their core systems.
“Most enterprises would prefer to keep that data within their own secured servers rather than exposing it on a public, decentralized network,” he said.
While private chains may offer a bridge, Max Li says the idea of tokenized agents powering real-world logistics or finance is, for now, a crypto-native dream.
A Market Fueled by Hype
AI agent tokens have exploded in 2025. Riding the momentum of both AI and crypto, they have attracted massive capital inflows. However, Dr. Li parallels the dot-com bubble, concluding that while innovation is real, the market is overheated.
Based on this, he does not believe the current rally is sustainable: “It’s fair to say there’s a bubble forming here.”
This sentiment echoes Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ), who recently warned that most AI token projects launch too early.
“Too many AI agent developers focus too much on their token and not enough on the agent’s usefulness. I recommend making a really good agent first,” wrote CZ in a post.
Zhao argued that only a tiny fraction of AI agents, say 0.05%, actually need tokens at this stage. Similarly, Hitesh Malviya, an analyst and popular figure on X, recently echoed this sentiment in a post.
“If you look outside the crypto echo chamber, you’ll find that we do have a solid ecosystem of free and better AI agents—and they don’t have tokens, nor might they ever need one. So, what we’re trading in the name of agents is nothing but memes—a value we created out of thin air, like we always do,” Hitesh observed.
Regulatory Turbulence Ahead
Perhaps the most underappreciated risk in the AI agent boom is regulation. The intersection of open AI systems, tokenized data, and borderless blockchains is a minefield for compliance.
Dr. Li warned of contradictions yet to be resolved: How can decentralized AI be transparent and private? Who is liable when agents act autonomously but cause financial losses?
“In the short term, regulatory intervention will likely create additional hurdles for innovation,” he concluded.
This is especially true where there is no global consensus. Until jurisdictions align on KYC (know-your-customer), AML (anti-money laundering) laws, and data governance, institutional adoption will remain cautious, if not frozen.
While the rise of AI agents is real, their integration into tokenized crypto ecosystems is still a high-risk, high-ambiguity frontier. Infrastructure remains fragile. Legal frameworks are missing, and real-world adoption is still speculative at best.
Dr. Max Li’s view is clear: crypto must shift its focus from hype to functionality—from token-first to agent-first design.
Only then will the next leap in AI-powered decentralization become more than just a market cycle.
Cardano (ADA) has been experiencing a period of fluctuating price action. Despite efforts to recover, ADA has faced challenges in maintaining its upward momentum.
While the altcoin has held onto an uptrend since the beginning of the month, it now faces a challenge. Traders may be pulled back from participating, potentially stalling any further price recovery.
Cardano Traders Are In Trouble
The sentiment around Cardano (ADA) is mixed. According to the Liquidation Map, short traders are at a disadvantage if ADA continues its uptrend. A breach of $0.77 would lead to the liquidation of approximately $20 million worth of short contracts.
This could result in upward pressure on the price as shorts are forced to close their positions.
However, without strong bullish momentum, this upside potential may not materialize, keeping traders cautious. While short traders could face substantial losses if ADA rises, this risk does not necessarily mean that the uptrend is sustainable.
Overall, Cardano’s market momentum reflects a sense of uncertainty. The number of active addresses on the network has recently dropped to a four-month low of 20,700. This decline in investor participation indicates a lack of enthusiasm among ADA holders. Many investors are seemingly pulling back, waiting for clearer signals of recovery before re-engaging with the token.
This lack of participation has had a negative impact on Cardano’s liquidity and transaction volume, further influencing its price dynamics. The decreasing number of active addresses also suggests that traders are hesitant to invest in ADA, which could slow down any potential price recovery.
Cardano is currently trading at $0.70, holding above the support level of $0.70, and the uptrend line has supported the price since early March. The immediate target for ADA is to breach the $0.77 resistance level, but this remains a challenge. Achieving this would require a rise of approximately 9%, which may be difficult under the current market conditions.
In the absence of a broader market rally, ADA is likely to remain consolidated under the $0.77 resistance. Should the altcoin fail to hold the $0.70 support, it could experience a decline, potentially falling to $0.62. This would invalidate the recent bullish outlook, further dampening investor confidence.
If ADA successfully breaches the $0.77 resistance, it could rise to $0.85, thereby invalidating the bearish thesis. Such a move would likely signal a more sustained recovery, as it would clear a significant hurdle for Cardano.
