Happy Monday! Start your week with Binance Bytes, a snapshot of the latest market developments.
Highlights đ§”:
1/ Scheduled for January 14, 2026, the Fermi upgrade reduces BNB Chain's block time from 750ms to 450ms via BEP-619 and other proposals, potentially tripling throughput to enhance DeFi and time-sensitive applications. The upgrade further entrenches the chain as an EVM-compatible, high-throughput alternative to Solana.
2/ The Lighter Perp DEX airdropped 250 million LIT tokens (25% of supply, valued at ~US$650M at launch) to early users based on their points earned, with no vesting. 50% of total supply is allocated to team and investors, with the remaining 25% reserved for future incentives and growth initiatives. Post-airdrop, LIT price dropped ~30% and ~20% of protocol TVL exited quickly, illustrating ongoing challenges in retaining mercenary capital in competitive markets.
3/ Walmart's OnePay app now allows users to hold, trade, and convert Bitcoin (and Ethereum) to cash for checkout payments through partner Zerohash, potentially exposing 150 million weekly shoppers to crypto. This pragmatic hybrid model targets underbanked consumers and normalizes digital assets in retail.
