MOODENG surged significantly following a donation from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who adopted Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus, and contributed a substantial amount to support wildlife conservation. 

The S&P 500 dropped 0.04%, halting a potential "Santa Claus rally." It has risen 26% in 2024, with attention now turning to the Fed's 2025 policy and geopolitical risks. Coindesk Indices, an index measuring broader cryptocurrency market performance was down by 3.15%, with Bitcoin and Ether dropping by 3.65% and 3.81%, respectively in the past 24 hours.

Today's top performer is ME, which surged 13.9% following the launching of 'Mooz' by Cool Cows on the Magic Eden Launchpad.

Magic Eden (ME), launched in September 2021, is the largest NFT marketplace on the Solana blockchain, allowing users to buy, sell, mint, and manage tokens. Cool Cows announced the launch of "

" on Magic Eden Launchpad on December 27th. They encourage joining their Discord for a chance at WL or OG spots before launch day.

Check Out the Latest Prices, Charts, and Data of 

MOODENG surged significantly following a 

 from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who adopted Moo Deng, a pygmy hippopotamus, and contributed a substantial amount to support wildlife conservation. Despite the explosive price increase, analysts warn that the gains may be temporary due to broader market volatility and overbought conditions. Trading volumes spiked, but technical indicators suggest potential corrections. Overall, market sentiment remains cautious, with predictions of possible price dips before stabilization.

Yesterday, the total flow for BTC Spot ETFs was 418.7 million, with 442.9 million in non-GBTC and a -24.2 million flow in GBTC.

 is scheduled for January, with draft criteria revealed during an AMA. Participants can earn JUP tokens based on their swapping volume, starting at $800 for 50 JUP. Higher volumes can earn up to 20,000 JUP. Additional allocations are available for users of Jupiter's Perps, DCA, Limit Orders, or VA features, as well as JUP stakers and governance participants. These criteria are draft and may change.

Beginner

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MOODENG Soars After Vitalik Buterin's Wildlife Donation

Ripple USD (RLUSD) is a stablecoin designed to provide efficient, low-cost solutions for cross-border payments and DeFi, backed by U.S. dollar reserves.

 are the key to solving major financial challenges such as cross-border payments, and may soon replace many traditional fiat uses. 

 (RLUSD) aims to play a central role in this shift, offering stability and efficiency for global transactions and 

 (DeFi). This article will dive into what Ripple USD is, how it works, its main features, use cases and its potential impact on the broader stablecoin market.

Ripple USD is a stablecoin from Ripple Network, designed to maintain a 1:1 peg with the U.S. dollar for stability. This stability is achieved through a collateralization mechanism supported by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term government treasuries, and other cash-equivalent assets, offering a secure and reliable digital currency.

Ripple USD is designed to provide a reliable digital currency for everyday use and to solve several challenges in the crypto and financial worlds:

Ripple introduced RLUSD in June 2024 primarily to streamline cross-border transactions for institutional players. The stablecoin has been in beta testing since August on XRP Ledger and the Ethereum blockchain, and achieved a significant milestone in December 2024 when it received approval from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS). This regulatory nod highlights RLUSD's commitment to meeting stringent standards, strengthening its credibility and earning trust from users and investors alike.

With the NYDFS approval in place, RLUSD is set to launch on both the XRP Ledger (XRPL) and Ethereum’s blockchain. Ripple will follow up with listings on exchanges including Uphold, Bitstamp, Bitso, MoonPay, Independent Reserve, CoinMENA and Bullish, with plans to expand its presence across other platforms and DeFi protocols in the future. Given Ripple's strong reputation for collaborating with financial institutions, RLUSD is poised to give established stablecoins like 

The Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin is built for efficient and reliable cross-border transactions. Each RLUSD is fully backed by U.S. dollar deposits, short-term U.S. Treasuries and cash equivalents, ensuring it maintains a 1:1 peg to the U.S. dollar. This backing provides the stability users need for secure and predictable transactions.

RLUSD will run on the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchains as an 

 token to maximize compatibility with a wide range of wallets and DeFi applications. Transactions are processed via Ripple’s decentralized network, which uses a unique 

 to achieve near-instant settlement times — typically within three to six seconds. Unlike traditional blockchain systems, this process doesn’t rely on energy-intensive mining, making it faster and more eco-friendly.

 integration adds another layer of functionality, enabling RLUSD to power automated financial operations. This opens the door to innovative DeFi products and services, from lending and borrowing to yield farming. Currently in beta testing with enterprise partners, RLUSD is undergoing rigorous testing to meet high standards of security and efficiency before its official launch.

Ripple emphasizes transparency, with third-party audits of RLUSD’s reserve assets and regular progress updates. This commitment positions RLUSD as a trustworthy and versatile player in the growing stablecoin market.

Ripple USD (RLUSD) offers strong liquidity for key trading pairs on select 

 (CEXs). This feature ensures that users can buy and sell RLUSD with ease without causing major price fluctuations, resulting in a smooth and efficient trading experience.

RLUSD is issued on both the XRP Ledger and Ethereum blockchain, giving it broad compatibility across multiple ecosystems. This dual issuance ensures that RLUSD can easily be integrated into various platforms and applications, increasing its accessibility and usability across different networks.

With RLUSD, transactions can be settled almost instantly and at minimal cost, no matter where you are in the world. It reduces fees and speeds up cross-border payments and makes the process faster and more cost-effective by cutting out traditional banking intermediaries.

Integrating RLUSD into smart contracts enables automated financial operations, which are more efficient and accessible. This enhanced accessibility empowers users to easily buy, on-ramp, trade and engage in other activities within the DeFi ecosystem. RLUSD thus simplifies financial transaction management to create a more user-friendly DeFi experience.

, a trusted platform for securely managing digital assets, is already widely used by financial institutions and innovators. It combines institutional-grade security with 24/7 real-time execution, ensuring assets are safe while also easily accessible for fast transactions. Ripple Custody’s advanced governance framework streamlines operations, integrates seamlessly into existing technology systems and offers valuable additional services.

Designed for efficiency, Ripple Custody automates manual tasks and simplifies back-office operations, making asset management smoother and faster. The platform also supports flexible deployment options — Software as a service (SaaS), customer-hosted or hybrid models — so organizations can customize it to their needs. Whether for tokenization, stablecoin issuance or overall asset management, Ripple Custody is a key tool for building a strong digital asset strategy.

Ripple Custody plays an essential role in managing the security and integrity of Ripple USD (RLUSD). It ensures the underlying assets — such as U.S. dollar deposits, short-term Treasury bonds and other cash equivalents — are securely held and transparently managed, providing the stability needed for RLUSD to function effectively.

Ripple USD is designed to streamline various financial applications within the cryptocurrency ecosystem. Following are some of the key use cases for RLUSD.

Ripple USD has received final approval from NYDFS and is expected to launch soon. Initially planned for a Dec 4, 2024 release, the launch was delayed due to regulatory processes, but is now anticipated to occur before the end of 2024, as 

Ripple USD is a stablecoin designed to offer a reliable, low-cost solution for cross-border payments and DeFi. Backed by U.S. dollar reserves, it ensures stability while offering quick transactions and broad blockchain compatibility. With regulatory approval and strong institutional backing, RLUSD is positioned to challenge established stablecoins. However, its success will depend upon widespread adoption and effective integration into Ripple's ecosystem, making it a promising yet competitive investment.

Intermediate

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Ripple USD (RLUSD): A Stablecoin Built for Payments

In this tutorial, we’ll explore how you can complete a series of tasks in Suilend for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade.

Task: Complete Suilend Bybit Wallet Check-In for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade

button in the top right corner of the page, and connect your 

: Stake at least 10 SUI to deposit sSUI in Suilend, click on 

 to confirm the transaction request in your Bybit Wallet.

: Once the deposit is completed, you’ll receive a confirmation message. 

10 SUI is now staked as sSUI via Suilend. Please navigate back to the Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade campaign page to check your completion status and earn your reward.

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How to Complete Suilend Tasks for Bybit Web3 Airdrop Arcade

Smart contract platforms serve as decentralized frameworks that enable self-executing contracts, with terms directly embedded in code

Smart contract platforms serve as decentralized frameworks that enable self-executing contracts, with terms directly embedded in code. This functionality is crucial for the operation of numerous on-chain applications, including 

, facilitating transactions without intermediaries. The landscape is divided into Layer 1 (L1) and Layer 2 (L2) networks.

L1 blockchains, such as Ethereum and Solana, provide the foundational infrastructure for 

 (DApps), while L2 networks like Arbitrum and Optimism enhance the capabilities of L1s by improving scalability and efficiency. 

Heading into 2025, Ethereum remains the dominant L1, holding a 70% share of total TVL within DeFi. However, the market is evolving, with new entrants like 

The competitive L2 space is also transforming, with 

 leading the pack, boasting a market cap exceeding $5 billion. Newcomers such as 

 are reshaping the landscape, demonstrating a trend toward diversification and innovation in blockchain technology.

Several emerging platforms are redefining the smart contract landscape through unique technological innovations and community engagement. 

, derived from Meta's Diem project, utilizes the Move programming language to enhance security and scalability. With over 200 projects in its ecosystem, Aptos has seen a 13.5x increase in TVL, reflecting strong growth.

Sui, which shares a similar heritage, focuses on scalability through its object-centric model and unique consensus mechanism that allow for individual transaction confirmation. This innovative approach has led to a remarkable 14.9x increase in TVL, signaling Sui’s potential as a formidable player in the market.

 introduces a modular blockchain architecture that bridges Move and 

 (EVM) ecosystems, aiming to enhance DeFi 

 and NFTs. Launched in late 2024, Movement emphasizes community building through hackathons and developer engagement, while its unique features appeal to a diverse user base.

 technologies with Telegram's vast user base, and 

, an L1 solution designed for high throughput and low latency. Finally, Berachain introduces a Proof-of-Liquidity consensus mechanism that focuses on aligning liquidity and security within its DeFi-centric ecosystem.

As the landscape of smart contract platforms continues to evolve, several challenges must be addressed. Security vulnerabilities remain a significant concern, as smart contracts are prone to bugs that can be exploited. Continuous auditing and robust security practices are essential to mitigating these risks.

Market saturation poses another challenge, as the influx of new platforms intensifies competition for developers and users. To stand out, new entrants are forming strategic partnerships and focusing on niche markets to differentiate themselves from established players. 

Centralization is also a critical issue, and governance structures and validator reliance must be scrutinized in order to ensure long-term viability.

Looking ahead, the outlook for smart contract platforms remains promising. Innovations in modular architectures and interoperability are improving user experience within web3, while increasing institutional interest could bring additional resources and innovation to the space. As the ecosystem continues to mature, these platforms are likely to play a pivotal role in redefining interactions with digital assets, driving demand within DeFi and beyond.

Advanced

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Smart Contract Platforms Report: Up-and-Coming Challengers to Ethereum and Solana

Blockchain

Crypto

Bitcoin

Fast and informative, BTC explorers ensure transparency and let you keep track of all your transactions. Learn more here.

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A blockchain explorer is a search engine used to find information on blockchain transactions. Blockchain explorers have come a long way since the first explorer for Bitcoin was launched in November 2010. In response to more blockchain-based altcoins being created, dedicated blockchain explorers have been developed to provide users with all the information they need. Read on to learn more about explorers tailored to Bitcoin, otherwise known as BTC explorers.

 is a system of decentralized digital public ledgers that store transactions. Backed by application programming interface (API) and blockchain nodes, a blockchain explorer is an online tool that provides information about transactions made on a blockchain, transaction growth, the current network hash rate, and more. A blockchain explorer can also provide users with information on specific wallet addresses, such as the amounts transacted and the sources and status of transactions. These pieces of information can be extracted virtually via the explorer.

Blockchain explorers are used mostly by traders and users who buy and sell crypto on a regular basis. Once traders/users have initiated a transaction, they’ll receive an automatically-generated transaction 

 used to confirm the transaction and to obtain further details regarding it. Miners also use blockchain explorers to get updates about their block activity, since if they create a particular block successfully, they’ll receive a block reward.

A Bitcoin explorer is a tool that helps users find Bitcoin transactions on the Bitcoin blockchain. It also provides users with an interface that allows them to easily search for information. 

Structurally, an explorer may use an API, relational database or 

. API lets users interact with the blockchain programmatically (via software), allowing them to obtain real-time market data, trade status and other transaction-related information. The user interface server for blockchain explorers provides an API to interface with other computers, while 

 help draw data from a blockchain and present it to users in an accessible manner.

With BTC explorers, users engaged in crypto trade can also track market activities such as market cap, number of bitcoins in the 

 and the amount of energy required to mine Bitcoin.

Although they’re usually crypto-specific, all blockchain explorers serve the same purpose: they provide a practical, simple interface where data stored on an open ledger can be retrieved. Most explorers let you browse transactions and public addresses or search an entire block in the blockchain. They provide updates about the current status of transactions and explore the transaction histories of specific coins.

BTC explorers provide increased transparency on the Bitcoin blockchain by allowing you to search and access the Bitcoin transaction history of any wallet address. They also enable users to receive and change addresses. Apart from receiving the transaction address, users can also see the 

 — an output that returns crypto to the spender in order to prevent a high input value from going toward transaction fees. This also improves the transparency of transactions. Explorers such as blockchain.info also give users the option of exploring the largest transaction of the day. 

BTC explorers let users browse pending transactions in the 

 (mempool). Waiting to be picked up and confirmed by a miner, these transactions summarize the fee rates paid on the network. This information is useful before executing a transaction to assess how busy the network is, and to gauge the fee that will need to be paid. 

Some explorers support the discovery of the number of double-spend transactions that are taking place on a blockchain. BTC explorers also allow users to check 

. These are blocks which aren’t attached to the longest blockchain, even after mining, and their parent blockchains are unknown. A BTC explorer also gives information about the first mined block on the given chain.

A Bitcoin blockchain displays the validated Bitcoin transactions that have taken place. These are confirmed by a Bitcoin miner and appended to the Bitcoin blockchain. 

After successfully solving the cryptographic puzzle that verifies a set of transactions as valid, an explorer allows users to input data to query the blockchains. The interface converts the inputs to machine-readable formats and presents them on the user interface. 

The Bitcoin ledger takes up a huge amount of space and requires significant time to be downloaded. A fast connection is required to download the chain because of the seeding and verification method used by the 

 wallet to download it. The Bitcoin Core wallet can be downloaded via Bitcoin’s 

BTC explorers let you browse a specific transaction or public address and look up an entire block in the blockchain. They show the current status as well as the history of transactions. Here are examples of data shown on the explorer: 

Explorers show data related to transactions carried out on all wallets of a given blockchain. This includes the following: 

The explorer displays specific block details such as:

Some blockchain explorers provide additional statistics such as the total number of transactions, the block’s miner, the average block fee rate, and more.

On the BTC blockchain, all transactions are visible. However, the blockchain only stores addresses and public keys, not real-world identities.

Although anonymity is touted as one of Bitcoin’s best features, Bitcoin is in fact only pseudo-anonymous. It’s possible to trace a Bitcoin address by looking up another user’s past transactions and the number of BTC that they’ve traded. To locate the address where a transaction was initiated, a user needs to access past transactions involving the address and analyze the person’s transaction history.

A BTC explorer can be evaluated based on how complete its range of features is, as well as the uniqueness of those features. 

The explorer’s speed in displaying and retrieving data also creates an impact on user experience. With privacy concerns among users on the rise, a BTC explorer should have strong privacy measures in place to protect its users.

Just as blockchains like Ethereum provide users with a high level of transparency, blockchain explorers should also be public. Explorers should be able to ensure that they provide the information needed by users regarding all transactions on the blockchain.

Following are the five best Bitcoin explorers on the market: 

One of the most frequently used explorers, this is primarily a Bitcoin block explorer, but it can also be used to check ETH and BCH transactions. 

Apart from displaying mined blocks in a compact list, based on how recently they were solved, this explorer also offers users the ability to view the mining difficulty of blocks, graphs (including average fees), the address of the miner who mined the block, and the current hash rate. 

An open-source explorer tool, BlockCypher features transparent coding and displays standard information such as fees, block size and number of transactions. Other than BTC, this explorer also supports altcoins such as DASH and DOGE. It provides transaction confirmation estimation as well.

Blockchair has a simple interface that gives information about trends, fees and block sizes. It offers support for BTC, LTC, XRP, BCH and ETH. Additionally, it’s great for in-depth analysis of trends, and displays messages and notes included in transactions.

TradeBlock offers a great environment for tracking transactions and searching wallets. This explorer has a simple design and is equipped with a wide range of tools. 

TradeBlock provides a wide range of information, like the latest block activity, including the number of transactions and the cumulative output value of the most recent blocks. It also comprises a mining calculator to drive better decisions related to Bitcoin mining and transactions.

The CoinMarketCap blockchain explorer provides important information about the cryptocurrency market. It ranks cryptocurrencies and exchanges in order of 

. People find it easy to use CoinMarketCap because of its attractive graphics and simple layout.

Blockchain explorers were launched to provide detailed data about transactions and to ensure transparency for blockchain users. Explorers help users read blockchain transaction histories, review wallet balances and confirm the status of transactions. With the growth of blockchain technology, more people are jumping onto the bandwagon as they begin to appreciate the usefulness and versatility of blockchain explorers.

Given the exponential growth of cryptocurrencies and blockchains in recent years, BTC explorers are expected to be refined and diversified as they progress into the foreseeable future. 

BTC Explorers: Everything You Need to Know

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards

Grab Up to 5,000 USDT in Rewards