Ethereum surged 29% this week, breaking a 10-week downtrend and catching short sellers off guard with $400M liquidated. 

The S&P 500 extended its rally with a nine-day winning streak, its longest since 2004, as optimism over potential trade deals and upcoming Fed and earnings updates lifted sentiment. Gold rose to $3,245 on trade uncertainty and Fed rate cut hopes. CoinDesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, fell 1.50% in the past 24 hours, while Bitcoin and Ether dropped 0.10% and 0.51%, respectively. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is AI16Z, which surged 7.0% after Bonsai's smart media protocol integrated with Eliza to empower agent-driven social content creation.

elizaOS (AI16Z), launched in October 2024, formerly ai16z, is a Solana-based DApp that uses a DAO and an AI agent, "Marc AIndreessen," to manage community-driven investments in tech and crypto projects. 

, lets developers create agent-driven social media scripts and templates using ElizaOS plugins. The Bonsai Client, its first implementation, enables easy deployment of these smart media agents on platforms like Lens. Builders can explore these tools and compete for prizes in the Lens Spring Hackathon.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

Ethereum surged 29% this week, breaking a 10-week downtrend and catching short sellers off guard with $400M liquidated. Despite muted ETF flows and neutral derivatives sentiment, ETH’s dominance remains unshaken—boasting $64B in TVL, dwarfing Solana, BNB Chain, and Tron combined. With fresh momentum from the recent pectra upgrades and Trump distancing from rival altcoins, all eyes are now on a potential push toward $2,700. 

BTC spot ETFs saw $920.9M in net inflows this week, driven by $1.09B into non-GBTC funds despite $171.5M outflows from GBTC. Since inception, total net inflows stand at $41.1B.

 are now live and claimable as a small bonus for users farming the upcoming Aster (AST) airdrop. By depositing BNB to mint asBNB, users can start earning points toward both the main airdrop and future ecosystem rewards. Optional perp trading can boost points further, but simply holding asBNB is enough to qualify.

Beginner

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Ethereum outperforms with a 20% rally as fresh capital flows in and undervaluation signals flash

Our monthly report delves into insights from options volatility to inspire your next crypto move.

: April 2025 saw BTC's implied volatility surge above 75% due to tariff chaos, but it collapsed to 35% within a week, indicating a surprising short-term drop in volatility expectations despite ongoing macro uncertainty.

: BTC's return above $100K was met with muted enthusiasm in the derivatives market, suggesting that 

traders no longer view this level as a significant psychological barrier, and the rally isn’t likely to be sustained.

: ETH significantly outperformed BTC with a 23% rally, leading to increased demand for short-dated calls and a positive shift in the options market, highlighting renewed bullish sentiment.

: Historical trends suggest a potential summer lull in volatility in store for BTC, raising questions about whether this pattern will repeat in 2025 amidst ongoing macroeconomic challenges.

Bitcoin’s volatility plunges in late April

April 2025 witnessed significant volatility in the cryptocurrency market, particularly influenced by US trade policies. As President Trump announced steep reciprocal tariffs, the crypto landscape experienced sharp fluctuations. Bitcoin (BTC) initially demonstrated resilience, despite widespread sell-offs in equities and the US dollar, only to succumb to a decline from $88K to $75K by early April. This period was characterized by a dramatic rise in implied volatility that peaked above 75% as traders sought protection through short-dated puts. However, as the tariffs faced moderation, implied volatility plummeted to 35% by mid-April, marking the lowest level since early March.

Interestingly, while short-tenor volatility collapsed, 

the back end of BTC's term structure remained elevated, signaling that market participants expect heightened volatility in the mid-term

. Amidst this backdrop, realized volatility fell below the five-year seasonal average, paralleling similar trends in previous years and suggesting a 

. The historical pattern contrasts that BTC often experiences a rebound in volatility heading into May, raising questions about whether this trend will persist.

Subdued derivative response suggests Bitcoin rally might not endure

The market's reaction to BTC's resurgence above the $100K threshold was notably subdued compared to previous instances. While BTC rallied 20% following the initial tariff sell-off, the derivatives market displayed a muted response. The 25-delta put/call skew, a measure of market sentiment, indicated only a slight bias toward out-of-the-money calls, contrasting sharply with sentiment previously when BTC first breached the $100K mark in December 2024. This lack of exuberance suggests that traders no longer view $100K as a significant inflection point, raising concerns about the sustainability of the rally. 

Meanwhile, funding rates and implied volatility — though still bullish — didn’t reach the extremes observed in earlier months, indicating more cautious market sentiment. The relationship between BTC's spot price and implied volatility suggests that although traders are optimistic, they’re waiting for BTC to approach previous all-time highs before adjusting their volatility expectations.

Ethereum's option data points to further rally

In stark contrast to BTC, Ethereum (ETH) displayed remarkable resilience and outperformed major cryptocurrencies, gaining 23% overnight following favorable trade news. This rally catalyzed a surge in demand for short-dated calls, pushing front-end volatility expectations significantly higher. The response from the derivatives market was robust, inverting the term structure and indicating renewed bullish sentiment toward ETH, even as it’s trading well below its all-time high.

The ETH options market exhibited a shift from neutral to slightly negative skew, to a 10% bias favoring out-of-the-money calls, reflecting the market's confidence in ETH's potential to regain lost ground. Despite overall macroeconomic uncertainty, the demand for ETH options suggests that traders are optimistic about Ether’s future price movements.

In conclusion, April 2025 highlighted the complex interplay between macroeconomic factors and cryptocurrency market dynamics. While BTC faced challenges in eliciting strong responses from derivatives markets upon recrossing the $100K threshold, ETH's performance indicated a divergence in market sentiment. As traders navigate the evolving landscape, the potential for seasonal volatility patterns and the influence of macroeconomic developments will remain critical factors in shaping future market expectations.

Advanced

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Bybit X Block Scholes options volatility report (April 2025): Data suggests Bitcoin rally might not endure, but Ether sees further upside

Our weekly crypto derivatives analytics report delves into macro events; the current state of crypto and trading signals from spot trading volume; and futures, options and perpetual contracts.

After mostly trading sideways at the end of April 2025, a US-UK trade deal sparked a crypto rally. BTC surged past $100K for the first time since February, but it’s ETH's performance that captured the derivatives market's attention. 

A 23% increase in ETH's spot price led to an inverted term structure and a spike in front-end volatility. The put/call skew for ETH shifted from a bearish bias to a nearly 10% skew toward OTM calls. Other sentiment indicators, such as perp funding rates and futures yield, also supported the rally. In contrast, while BTC's funding rates and skew have increased, its implied volatility remains low at 40%, over 30 points below ETH's 7-day implied volatility.

Please check out the report’s highlights.

ETH’s record performance since 2021 was propelled by positive term structure

ETH has significantly outperformed BTC and the top 10 cryptocurrencies, marking its largest single-day gain since May 2021. The options market has reflected this enthusiasm, with implied volatility for short tenors rising sharply and inverting ETH’s term structure, thus contrasting with BTC's muted, positively sloped structure. The 7-day tenor for ETH is now trading at a 33-point premium over that for BTC. 

While puts dominate BTC's open interest, ETH is seeing the opposite trend. On May 8, 2025, options volumes surged over $120M, more than double the typical monthly volume, with $60M more in calls than puts. ETH now boasts a positive futures curve and funding rates, as well as a strong skew toward OTM calls.

ETH sees exceptionally bullish put/call skew

ETH's substantial outperformance in the current crypto rally has led to bullish sentiment in its derivatives markets. Funding rates have surged, futures yields are strongly positive and the put/call skew has shifted significantly toward OTM calls, now close to 10%. This starkly contrasts with early April, when the skew was 20% toward OTM puts. Although ETH has underperformed (relative to BTC and other "ETH killers"), it has rebounded in this rally, with the ETH/BTC ratio rising after spending most of the year declining.

Open interest for Bitcoin options increased, with implied volatility remaining suppressed

The announcement of the new US administration's first trade deal, nearly 30 days into Trump's 90-day tariff pause, jolted crypto markets, pushing BTC back up above $100K. Surprisingly, implied volatility has remained suppressed, failing to invert BTC's term structure, with front-end volatility trading at around an 18-month low of 35-40%. On May 8, 2025, options volumes surged, with call volume reaching $189M, reversing last week's trend of higher put volumes. Meanwhile, open interest rose steadily to exceed $300M, the highest level this month, but remains significantly larger for puts than for calls despite the price increase.

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Bybit X Block Scholes crypto derivatives analytics report (May 9, 2025): Ether’s put/call skew turns remarkably more bullish than Bitcoin’s

This article explores how Sign works, its flagship products (such as TokenTable, SignPass and EthSign), its native token (SIGN) and how to trade SIGN on Bybit.

Sign is an omnichain attestation infrastructure that empowers users and developers to verify real-world claims on-chain. Built for a more transparent and decentralized future, it eliminates the need to “just trust” and enables everyone to verify with cryptographic proof.

This article explores how Sign works, its flagship products (such as TokenTable and EthSign), its native token (SIGN) and how to trade SIGN on Bybit.

 is an omnichain attestation protocol designed to make it easy for anyone to verify the authenticity of any claim — 

. Whether it’s a document, credential or user identity, Sign transforms traditional trust models into verifiable, cryptographic attestations. 

Sign’s mission is to replace outdated, opaque validation systems with transparent, 

 proof — enabling a future where “verify” replaces “trust.” Through tools like schema registries and digital signatures, Sign empowers users to bring accountability and integrity to digital interactions.

Sign is developed by the team behind EthSign, a 

-native e-signature and agreement platform. Its core team brings deep experience in 

 development and cross-chain integrations.

The project is backed by top-tier investors, including Sequoia Capital China (now known as HongShan Capital Group), Mirana Ventures, HashKey Capital and Hack VC.

This strategic funding positions Sign as a foundational layer in the web3 infrastructure stack.

Sign allows users to create attestations — cryptographically signed statements that prove the validity of claims, such as credentials, achievements or actions. These digital proofs can be verified by anyone at any time, making them tamperproof and transparent.

Sign’s key technical elements include a schema registry that ensures consistent data formatting, digital signatures proving authenticity, and on- and off-chain attestations with support for revocation or updates

This system acts like a programmable layer for web3, bringing a new level of trust to identity, credentials and data exchange.

TokenTable is Sign’s flagship token distribution platform. It helps projects unlock, distribute and manage tokens transparently and securely at scale.

It uses Sign’s attestation engine to verify token unlocks, 

 and vesting schedules, ensuring traceable, auditable token flows.

SignPass is a blockchain-based identity solution that brings real-world credentials on-chain. One notable implementation is the Sierra Leone PR Card, used for the world’s first government-approved on-chain permanent residency program.

SignPass offers encrypted on-chain records for easy 

 verification, physical ID issuance for daily identity use and streamlined digital application systems for cross-border access.

It showcases the way blockchain can modernize public sector services worldwide.

EthSign is a decentralized contract signing platform that lets users create, sign and store legally binding agreements directly on-chain. It removes intermediaries and ensures documents are immutable and accessible.

EthSign reinforces Sign’s mission by bringing traditional documentation into the realm of verifiable web3 attestations.

The SIGN token is the native utility token powering the Sign ecosystem. It’s used for:

The total supply is capped at 10 billion SIGN, with 1.2 billion tokens in circulation. While the fully diluted valuation (FDV) sits above $746 million as of May 7, the circulating market cap is approximately $89.6 million. SIGN continues to gain traction across exchanges and developer networks.

SIGN is available for trading on Bybit via Spot trading and as a USDT Perpetual contract. Bybit offers up to 75x leverage for the SIGNUSDT Perpetual contract and supports secure, high-liquidity spot trading.

Start exploring the future of attestations with SIGN on Bybit today.

Intermediate

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Sign (SIGN): Web3 protocol for trustless attestation

Blockchain

The Ordinal inscriptions market is much younger and still less liquid than the NFT market, but inscriptions are quickly gaining the attention of creators and traders as a viable NFT alternative.

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 immutably and permanently recorded on the world’s largest and probably most secure blockchain 

 (BTC) network? This question might force many NFT enthusiasts to pause and think a bit. But one person didn’t hesitate much before shelling out $450,000 in bitcoins in December 2023 for the right to own an Ordinal inscription — a unique digital artifact based on Bitcoin’s own implementation of NFT functionality. As of mid-February 2024, this stands as the most expensive Ordinal inscription sale in the brief history of 

Ordinal inscriptions, which allow you to attach pieces of data or media to individual satoshis, the smallest units in a BTC coin, have made it possible for creators to own unique, non-fungible assets on the Bitcoin chain. And unlike standard NFTs, which are typically based on blockchains like 

 (AVAX), Ordinal inscriptions/Bitcoin NFTs don’t require any 

Since their introduction in early 2023, Ordinal inscriptions have attracted both considerable interest and controversy in the Bitcoin community. However, one thing is certain — this niche is growing by leaps and bounds, and it may soon become a serious rival to the standard, smart contract–powered NFT ecosystem. 

What attracts people to Ordinal inscriptions on Bitcoin? And how are they different from NFTs on other blockchains? In this article, we’ll take a look at both Ordinal inscription technology and standard NFTs, and detail their key differences.

Ordinal inscriptions are digital assets created on the Bitcoin blockchain via attaching data such as images and videos to an individual 

 They’re as immutable as Bitcoin itself, as they’re made and stored directly on-chain. This innovative feature allows crypto artists to embed creative content onto Bitcoin and establish direct ownership and proof of the authenticity of their artwork.

The Bitcoin blockchain, lacking any smart contract capabilities, has never featured the classic NFT functionality available on Ethereum and other smart contract chains. In December 2022, blockchain developer Casey Rodarmor ingeniously noted that every single satoshi — the smallest unit in a BTC coin – can be uniquely traced on the Bitcoin network, according to the chronological order in which it’s been mined. For example, the very first satoshi in the first mined block has the Ordinal number 0, the second satoshi in that block has the Ordinal number 1, and so on.

Rodarmor didn’t stop at this observation. He realized that pieces of data — e.g., text, images, programming code or video — can be attached (or inscribed, per his chosen terminology) to a satoshi. The satoshi then becomes an identifiable, trackable and unique token with a piece of custom content inscribed into it, essentially an NFT-like asset.

In January 2023, Rodarmor launched the Bitcoin Ordinals protocol, which combined Ordinal theory and inscription methodology to facilitate the creation of unique NFT-like tokens on the Bitcoin network.

Media that can be inscribed onto an Ordinal NFT cannot exceed 4 MB, the limitation imposed by Bitcoin’s standard block size. In June 2023, Rodarmor introduced the concept of recursive inscriptions — a way of chaining Ordinal inscriptions that essentially removes the 4 MB size cap. Recursive inscriptions allow you to carry over data from previously created inscription tokens into a new inscription. By chaining together multiple inscription tokens in this manner, you can theoretically inscribe enormous amounts of media onto your Ordinal NFTs.

Since their introduction, Bitcoin Ordinals have been growing in popularity — and it hasn’t taken long for other blockchains to join the race. Throughout 2023, many other chains have implemented their own variations of 

 on Ethereum, Solinscriptions on Solana and Arbscriptions on Arbitrum (ARB).

 (NFTs) are unique crypto tokens that reside on a blockchain and are typically used to certify ownership of a digital artwork.

 The actual artwork — be it an image, animation or video — is usually stored off-chain, while the NFT itself contains metadata confirming the ownership and other vital details.

Metadata associated with an NFT includes detailed information such as the artwork's title, the artist's name, a description, the unique identifier, the date of mint and potentially other relevant details (for instance, edition number or properties specific to the blockchain where it's hosted). The process of minting an NFT requires using smart contracts and paying 

NFTs experienced a boom in 2021. The most expensive NFT, "The Merge", sold for a whopping $91.8 million. Other famously 

 include Beeple's "Everydays: the First 5000 Days", which fetched $69.44 million, and "CryptoPunk #5822", which sold for $23.7 million.

Differences Between Ordinal Inscriptions and NFTs

Ordinal inscriptions and standard NFTs used on smart contract chains share one fundamental commonality — both are used to facilitate the creation of, and trade in, uniquely identifiable, non-fungible crypto tokens. Yet their resemblances end pretty much there. Behind their similar façades, Ordinal inscriptions and NFTs are actually very distinct technologies. Let's take a closer look at the critical differences between them.

The most apparent technical difference between Ordinal inscriptions and NFTs concerns the use of smart contract technology. NFTs require smart contracts. Without these, NFTs can’t be minted or transferred. In contrast, though often referred to as Bitcoin NFTs, Ordinal inscriptions don't use smart contracts at all. In fact, they couldn’t, given the Bitcoin network’s lack of smart contract functionality. Rodarmor's ingenuity lies in being able to implement NFT-like functionality on Bitcoin without the need for any smart contracts whatsoever.

Ordinal inscriptions store all the media or artwork inscribed onto a satoshi token right on the Bitcoin chain. In contrast, most NFTs store only the metadata associated with the artwork on-chain. The actual media is stored off-chain, often on centralized platforms such as Google Drive, Dropbox or other Web 2.0 cloud solutions.

Options also exist to store your NFT-related digital assets on decentralized storage platforms, such as the 

 (AR). However, even in these cases, the NFT token typically resides on a different platform from the one on which its artwork is hosted. For example, many NFTs are stored on Ethereum or Solana, while their associated artwork is kept on IPFS.

Essentially, an NFT token residing on a blockchain serves only as a pointer or reference to the media it describes. This is the typical implementation of NFT technology, and stems largely from the fact that most blockchains don’t have the optimal technical environment for storing anything other than small-size data.

There are ways to store your NFT and all the media associated with it fully on-chain. Some platforms even facilitate the process of creating 

 for users. However, file size limits and transaction efficiency are still limited in these cases. As of early 2024, the most common way of creating and storing NFTs involves the use of off-chain storage environments.

As of mid-February 2024, the costs of inscribing a satoshi on Bitcoin are significantly higher than the costs of minting an NFT, perhaps aside from NFTs on Ethereum, a chain known for its scandalously high fees.

Most creators use third-party platforms like 

 to inscribe Ordinal tokens. These platforms make it easy to handle the whole inscription process without requiring the user to dive deep into technicalities. While technically adept users can inscribe directly on the chain without the use of third parties, the technical details of the process are far from trivial. 

With that in mind, we’ve calculated how much it would cost to inscribe a token for a typical non-technical user via the OrdinalsBot platform, one of the most popular and affordable services for Ordinal inscriptions. Using the platform’s interface, we first submitted a tiny 9 KB image file to be inscribed, and requested the most affordable (lowest priority) setting, which takes several days to complete the whole inscription process. We received a quote of $11. When we asked for the normal priority, which takes one hour to process an inscription, the price rose to $23.

However, 9 KB is hopelessly small for any serious image-based artwork, so we decided to use a more realistically sized image of 300 KB, still not a large file by any stretch. This is when the costs exploded! On the economy setting, which takes several days to process, the quote we received was $179, while the normal priority (one hour to process) was $529.

Even on Ethereum, well-known for its high transaction fees, the typical cost to mint an NFT is between $50 and $200, somewhat lower than the cost of getting an Ordinal inscription on Bitcoin. Moreover, most other NFT-capable chains feature minting costs that are orders of magnitude lower than the amounts above. For instance, minting on 

 (POL) will set you back by just a few cents, while creating a Solana-based NFT normally costs $2–$4 these days.

The NFT market is much older and more established — and features higher liquidity levels — as compared to the nascent Ordinal inscriptions market. The first NFT was minted back in 2014, and by 2017, the 

blockchain game had led to an explosion of interest in NFTs. By 2021, the NFT niche was a multibillion-dollar market, and an essential subcategory of the broader crypto market. 

While the NFT market has declined from its heyday of 2021, it still features considerable trade volumes. In fact, in the last 30 days to Feb 18, 2024, total NFT sales were slightly over $1 billion.

On the other hand, the Ordinal inscriptions market has recently celebrated its first anniversary. And yet, its market already features trading volumes similar to those found in the NFT sphere. In January 2024, the total trading volume of the Ordinals market was 

, quite a number for such a new area. While the price of inscriptions may not have quite reached that of NFTs at their peak, the high

st inscription sale price was already recorded at 10.4 BTC (around $450,000 at the time of sale in December 2023) for a Bitcoin inscription from the 

Being fully on-chain, Bitcoin Ordinals arguably feature a higher security level than that of NFTs, most of which have their actual artwork stored off-chain. The blockchain's built-in cryptographic security mechanism and decentralization play a crucial role in protecting on-chain assets, including Ordinal inscription tokens.

In contrast, NFTs often rely on centralized Web 2.0 platforms that might be more vulnerable to security hacks than blockchains. Moreover, Bitcoin — the home of Ordinals — is often cited as one of the industry's most secure (if not 

 most secure) decentralized blockchain networks.

Ordinal inscriptions are a fledgling technology, with a market that’s still in initial development. Among the pioneering platforms where you can trade inscriptions is the 

 and similar inscription tokens from various other blockchains.

The Bybit Inscription Marketplace also facilitates a trade in inscribable, fungible cryptocurrencies, fungible cryptos based on the same inscription technology as their non-fungible counterparts (Ordinal inscriptions). On Bitcoin, they’re based on the 

 that leverages the Ordinals protocol to facilitate the launch of fungible and inscribable crypto assets. The Bybit Inscription Marketplace features a variety of 

, as well as similar tokens from other blockchain platforms.

Since NFTs are a much more mature technology than Ordinal inscriptions, they’re available on a broader variety of centralized and decentralized platforms. Some 

 include OpenSea, Rarible and SuperRare, among many others.

Bybit is also among the leading providers in the NFT market, with two marketplaces for NFT-focused trade — 

 — to cover the needs of all segments of NFT creators and traders. Both marketplaces allow you to list and trade NFTs. Meanwhile, NFT Pro offers a couple of additional, innovative features, one of which is the ability to aggregate NFT data and offers from different external marketplaces. Moreover, NFT Pro allows you to synchronize your bids with all aggregated marketplaces.

Ordinal inscriptions have brought the concept of NFTs to the Bitcoin chain, albeit in a unique way that’s not based on smart contracts. Now, you can have your unique artwork represented on the world’s first, largest and arguably most secure blockchain — a privilege that wasn’t available to NFT enthusiasts in the past. For digital collectible investors, there are also opportunities in the Bitcoin NFT niche. The Ordinal inscription market, although relatively new and lacking the volumes seen in the NFT market, is growing fast, and with a less developed market come unique opportunities for returns.

NFTs also continue to be a thriving area of the crypto market. Although their trade volumes are down, compared to the days of the 2021 NFT mania, the NFT concept isn’t going anywhere. Perhaps the emergence of Bitcoin Ordinal inscriptions was something that the NFT market needed in order to experience another spike in interest from creators and traders alike. People are talking NFTs again — and this time, it’s thanks to Ordinal inscriptions.

 or trader who’s interested in digital collectibles, when you’re choosing between standard NFTs and Bitcoin Ordinal inscriptions, take into account that there are some fundamental differences between the two. Sometimes, it pays to try both so you can compare and contrast what works better for your individual needs.

Ordinal Inscriptions vs NFTs: How Are They Different?

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