30 Jan 2026: What’s New in DeFi?

The web3 space is still chugging along, even as cryptos are seeing a fresh slump amid a rebounding US dollar.

• Ethereum developers have confirmed that ERC-8004 will soon go live on mainnet, meaning AI agents will be able to find, identify, and work with each other on-chain without relying on a central authority. 

• This introduces trustless reputation and validation systems to Ethereum, allowing AI programs from different organizations to securely exchange data and payments while proving they behave as expected. 

• This means AI services can interact and settle tasks autonomously in a transparent and verifiable way, using options like feedback-based reputations, cryptographic proofs, or secure hardware to establish trust.