Ethereum R1 is a new donation-funded, tokenless Layer 2 rollup designed to offer a decentralized, censorship-resistant, and governance-minimized scaling solution for Ethereum

The S&P 500 rose 0.63% Thursday, boosted by strong Meta and Microsoft earnings, but futures slipped Friday as investors awaited the April jobs report and weighed Apple and Amazon tariff concerns. Gold fell to $3,235 as easing trade tensions cut safe-haven demand; markets await US jobs data for rate cut signals. The Coindesk Indices, which tracks the broader crypto market, rose 2.19%, with Bitcoin and Ether up 2.57% and 2.60%, respectively in the past 24 hours. Trade these markets and more with up to 500x leverage on Bybit MT5 using this 

Today's top performer is AR, which gained 16.8% following CloneX's successful migration to Arweave, sponsored by ArDrive.

Arweave (AR), founded in 2017, is a decentralized network for permanent data storage, using blockweave and Proof of Access to ensure long-term accessibility. It offers 200-year storage for a one-time fee, incentivized by AR tokens for miners. The system connects blocks efficiently to preserve and retrieve data, aiming to create a lasting digital knowledge repository. CloneX has successfully 

 to Arweave for permanent storage, with the support of ArDrive, which sponsored the migration of 100 GB of data. The process is nearly complete, with only Animus remaining to undergo decentralization.

Check out the latest prices, charts, and data of 

 is a new donation-funded, tokenless Layer 2 rollup designed to offer a decentralized, censorship-resistant, and governance-minimized scaling solution for Ethereum. Built on open-source code and the Nethermind Surge stack, it emphasizes credible neutrality, public good funding (with all fees burned after 2030), and infrastructure that remains free from VC control or centralized dependencies.

Yesterday, BTC spot ETFs saw $71.1M in total inflows, with $16M from GBTC and $55.1M from other ETFs.

 $BOOP tokens to active Solana memecoin traders and creators who promote memecoins or Solana dapps on X. To claim, users must connect their Solana wallet or X account and launch a free token. The airdrop arrives in 30 days, but growing the token’s market cap can accelerate the reward.

Beginner

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Ethereum R1 offers a decentralized rollup solution for Ethereum

This article dives into Bitcoin liquid staking protocol Lombard Finance, how LBTC works and how you can stake LBTC through Bybit Web3.

Bitcoin stands as the undisputed giant of the cryptocurrency space, commanding the largest market capitalization. Yet, much of its potential remains untapped, often sitting idle as a store of value rather than actively participating in the thriving 

 ecosystem. Lombard Finance aims to change this narrative by unlocking Bitcoin's utility and integrating it seamlessly into DeFi.

Lombard is built upon Babylon, the innovative Bitcoin staking protocol, and is incubated by Polychain Capital. Lombard’s flagship product, 

 (LST) for BTC. This article explores what Lombard Finance is and how LBTC works, and describes the Lombard ecosystem and how you can stake LBTC through Bybit Web3.

 is a liquid staking protocol that focuses on transforming 

's role in the digital economy. Its core mission is to evolve BTC from simply being a store of value — also viewed as 

 — into a productive asset that actively generates yield and participates within DeFi. Currently, a significant portion of Bitcoin's

 sits idle, lacking the native staking capabilities or cross-chain composability seen with assets such as 

Lombard Finance addresses this shortcoming by building on top of 

, a protocol that supports BTC staking without needing 

 or custodians. Babylon allows Bitcoin's economic weight to secure other 

 (PoS) chains and applications, creating a new yield source for holders. Lombard leverages this foundation to offer LBTC, making staked BTC liquid and usable across the DeFi market.

Lombard’s goal is ambitious: to channel Bitcoin's vast liquidity into DeFi. This could potentially double the ecosystem's 

 (TVL) if even a fraction of available BTC is introduced. Lombard believes this integration will catalyze significant growth and create more sustainable market dynamics by making BTC a core, yield-bearing primitive within DeFi.

Founders and investors of Lombard Finance

Lombard Finance was founded in April 2024 by a team with deep expertise within DeFi, drawing talent from established crypto projects like Polychain, Babylon, Argent, Coinbase and Maple. This collective experience underpins the protocol's design and strategic direction.

The project was notably incubated by Polychain Capital, a prominent crypto investment firm that also led Lombard's $16 million seed funding round (which was 

 in July 2024). This round saw participation from a wide array of significant players in the crypto space — including Babylon, dao5, Franklin Templeton, Foresight Ventures, HTX Ventures, Mirana Ventures, Mantle EcoFund, Nomad Capital, OKX Ventures and Robot Ventures — thus highlighting broad industry confidence in Lombard's vision. Strategic partnerships and contributions from exchanges like

 and Bitget are further bolstering its distribution and liquidity aggregation efforts.

LBTC is Lombard Finance's flagship product — a liquid staking token (LST) that represents Bitcoin staked through the Babylon protocol. Designed as a universal liquid BTC standard, LBTC is fully backed 1:1 by native Bitcoin, ensuring its value is directly tied to the underlying asset.

The token is yield-bearing, capturing rewards generated from securing PoS networks via Babylon staking. Crucially, LBTC remains liquid, meaning holders can freely use it across various DeFi applications — such as 

 and automated vaults — without sacrificing their underlying staked positions or associated yield.

LBTC is also designed for cross-chain compatibility, natively minted on supported blockchains like Ethereum, Base and Sui and using secure infrastructure [such as 

]. This avoids the risks associated with traditional bridging or wrapping methods, thus aiming to provide a more secure and seamless way to utilize Bitcoin across the multichain DeFi ecosystem.

Lombard Finance simplifies the process of putting Bitcoin to work within DeFi through its LBTC token. The mechanism is designed with security and user experience in mind, leveraging the Babylon protocol and a robust Security Consortium.

The core benefit of LBTC lies in its ability to unlock multiple layers of value simultaneously. Holders earn native yield from Babylon staking, potentially accrue additional rewards (such as Lombard Lux points) and gain access to diverse DeFi yield opportunities, all while maintaining the liquidity of their Bitcoin position. This transforms BTC from a static asset into a dynamic, yield-generating component of the DeFi ecosystem.

Lombard Finance is actively building a wide LBTC ecosystem that already boasts over 75 DeFi integrations. Security is foundational, anchored by the 14-member Security Consortium (including prominent names like Galaxy and OKX Ventures) and validating all critical operations alongside audits and bug bounties.

Core infrastructure relies both on Babylon for staking, and on the Chainlink CCIP for secure cross-chain movement, with EigenLayer integration 

. LBTC integrates with leading DeFi applications across lending platforms (e.g., 

) and automated vaults. The platform supports multiple blockchains (including Ethereum, Base, Sui, BNB Chain) and 

 (L2s), positioning LBTC as a versatile cross-chain asset.

Here's how you can stake BTC on Lombard and use LBTC in DeFi and automated vaults.

Lombard Finance (via its LBTC token) offers a compelling way for Bitcoin holders to put their assets into use, earn yield via Babylon staking and gain exposure to the expansive DeFi ecosystem — all while maintaining liquidity. Incubated by Polychain Capital and supported by a robust consortium and growing partner network, Lombard is positioning LBTC as a secure and versatile liquid Bitcoin standard.

It’s easy to participate in the Lombard ecosystem through 

, you can utilize your Bybit Web3 Seed Phrase Wallet to stake BTC and mint 

, Lombard's vault token that represents deposits in automated yield strategies. This provides you with a seamless gateway to access Bitcoin liquid staking and DeFi yields.

Ready to unlock your Bitcoin's potential? 

Intermediate

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Lombard Finance: Polychain-backed Bitcoin liquid staking protocol

The cryptocurrency market has entered a phase reminiscent of past altcoin seasons, primarily driven by Bitcoin's recent rebound to the $94K–$96K range. 

Altcoin season might have come with reviveding speculation 

The cryptocurrency market has entered a phase reminiscent of past altcoin seasons, primarily driven by Bitcoin's recent rebound to the $94K–$96K range. This resurgence has sparked renewed interest among retail traders, shifting focus from Bitcoin to smaller, more speculative altcoins. The overall market saw a 10% increase in value during the final eight days of April, contrasting with Bitcoin's 7% gain. This trend indicates a growing appetite for risk among investors, particularly in meme coins, which have seen a surge in social media discussions.

However, caution is warranted as elevated crowd enthusiasm often precedes market corrections. Historical patterns suggest that when buzzwords like "altseason" are dominating discussions, it may signal an impending price exhaustion. The current market dynamics reflect a shift toward speculative investments, raising concerns about the sustainability of this enthusiasm.

Bitcoin's bullish sentiment substantially improves

Bitcoin's position as the leading cryptocurrency has remained steady, with discussions around its price fluctuating significantly. Following a period of pessimism, when predictions dipped as low as $10K–$69K, sentiment shifted dramatically with the price recovery. Now, optimistic projections of $100K–$159K are dominating conversations, indicating a reversal in trader sentiment.

Despite Bitcoin's consistent presence in market discussions (approximately 25% of asset topics), the ratio of bullish-to-bearish commentary has grown increasingly favorable. This suggests a growing confidence among traders bolstered by Bitcoin's recent performance. However, it’s essential to monitor whether this bullish sentiment translates into sustained investment, or if it leads to overconfidence that may trigger a market pullback.

Ethere, once a robust contender in the altcoin arena, has struggled to regain retail investor confidence despite recent bullish commentary and promises of innovation from co-founder Vitalik Buterin. Its social media presence has dwindled to about 6–7% of discussions, a significant drop from previous years. This decline highlights the challenges Ethereum faces in re-establishing itself as a go-to investment in a market increasingly dominated by speculative assets.

Conversely, XRP has seen a notable increase in optimism surrounding ETF approvals, with expectations rising to 85%. This shift reflects a broader trend of institutional interest in cryptocurrencies, potentially paving the way for significant capital inflows. Meanwhile, Dogecoin's potential ETF listings have sparked renewed interest, transforming its image from that of a meme coin to a legitimate investment option. The growing dialogue surrounding institutional adoption of Dogecoin and XRP indicates a pivotal moment for these assets, suggesting they may play critical roles in the evolving cryptocurrency landscape.

Advanced

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Bybit x Santiment social sentiment report: Altcoin sentiment recovers despite Bitcoin’s resilience

Bybit Spread Trading allows traders to simultaneously buy and sell two related instruments in order to hedge risk or profit from price discrepancies. Read more.

Whether markets are flying high or wobbling unpredictably, one thing remains true: traders are always looking for smarter ways to 

 and find profit opportunities. That’s where Bybit Spread Trading comes in. This feature is tailor-made for those who want to go beyond basic buy/sell plays and start taking advantage of price discrepancies between related instruments. In this guide, we’ll walk through exactly how Bybit Spread Trading works, why it matters and how you can start using it today, whether you’re 

is a newly launched Bybit feature that allows users to simultaneously buy and sell two related instruments — such as Spot, Perpetual or Expiry contracts with different settlement dates — in order to hedge risk or profit from price discrepancies.

This type of trading strategy is popular among institutional and professional traders because it enables more precise, controlled market exposure. However, with Bybit’s interface, the barrier to entry is significantly lowered, opening the door for individual traders to tap with just a few clicks into a powerful set of tools.

At its core, Spread Trading on Bybit is about executing what’s called a combo trade. This means entering two positions at once: one long, one short. These positions are taken on related instruments, such as a BTC Spot trade and a BTC Perpetual contract, with the idea that their prices will either converge or diverge in a way that benefits your position.

When you place a buy combo, you’re buying the instrument with the longer expiration (the “far leg”) and selling the one that expires sooner (the “near leg”). 

A sell combo is the reverse: selling the far leg and buying the near leg. The profit (or loss) comes from how the spread between these two instruments shifts over time.

For example, if you believe the spread between a Perpetual and a Quarterly Futures contract will widen, you can buy the combo. If the spread increases after your entry, that movement becomes your profit. Bybit calculates your 

 prices automatically, based on the mark prices and your defined “order price,” so there’s no need to manually crunch the numbers.

Perhaps the most important feature here is atomic execution. This ensures both sides of your combo trade are filled together, in equal quantities, or the trade doesn’t go through at all. It removes “leg risk,” which is the danger of getting filled on one side of the trade, but not the other. In volatile markets, that alone can save you from an unwanted mess.

Spread Trading on Bybit currently supports combinations such as Spot and Perpetual, Spot and Expiry, Perpetual and Expiry, or even two Expiry contracts with different dates. This flexibility lets you build strategies that align with different market outlooks — bullish, bearish or neutral.

There’s a strong reason why Spread Trading is a go-to for many experienced traders: it allows for strategic plays that are more sophisticated than just guessing price direction. On Bybit, it’s not only powerful, but also convenient.

First, you get price certainty. Your spread is locked in at the price you specify. There’s no 

 between legs because the entry prices are automatically calculated and matched. You’re trading the spread, not the individual legs.

Secondly, the trading experience is smoother. Instead of placing two separate orders and manually trying to sync them, Bybit handles everything as a single transaction. You don’t have to worry about whether one leg gets filled and the other doesn’t — that risk is eliminated through atomic execution.

Third, this setup is a great hedge against volatility. By taking opposing positions on two related contracts, you reduce exposure to sharp price movements. Your P&L becomes more about the relative performance between contracts, rather than the market direction itself.

There’s also a strong cost advantage. Trading spreads on Bybit is significantly cheaper than doing it manually. You pay only half the trading fees you’d incur if you placed two individual trades on the order book. For high-volume or 

, that translates to meaningful savings over time.

Finally, it unlocks strategy flexibility. Whether you're 

 funding rates between Spot and Perpetual, doing 

 with different Futures contracts or taking advantage of price convergence before expiry, this platform gives you the tools to execute those ideas efficiently.

How to get started with Bybit Spread Trading 

Now that you have a better understanding of how Bybit Spread Trading works, let’s look into how to get started. Please note that you’ll need to have a Bybit account in order to proceed. If you don’t already have one, please check out our 

 for more information on how to create a Bybit account.

: Log in to your Bybit account and hover your cursor over the 

: The available spreads are organized in a grid, with each tile representing a unique combo. Choose your preferred combo to trade.

Tiles with a border around them signify that Spread Trading offers a better price. Hover over a tile for more details, or use the bar at the bottom of the grid to explore more options.

On the order placement page, set up your order with the following parameters:

to place your order. A pop-up window will appear for you to confirm your order details. Then, click on 

Congratulations — you’ve successfully placed an order!

You can view your Spread Trading orders from any trading page (Spread Trading, Spot and Futures), as they all share the same order data.

 to view your active orders. You’ll be able to view the combo, underlying asset, order price and more. 

If you would like to adjust your order parameters, you may click on the pencil icon under 

. To cancel your order, simply click on the order’s corresponding 

to view your completed orders. To view each order’s information on each leg, click on the order’s corresponding 

button. For additional insights, click on 

Spread trading isn’t for everyone — but if you’re someone who enjoys strategic trading, hedging or arbitrage, it’s a tool worth adding to your arsenal. It appeals to traders who are less interested in taking a directional bet, and more focused on capitalizing on inefficiencies in the market.

You don’t have to be a pro trader to benefit, either. The simplified execution and intuitive UI mean even intermediate users can explore advanced strategies without being overwhelmed. As long as you understand how spreads work, and how your P&L is affected by their movement, you’re already halfway there.

More importantly, in times of market uncertainty or low volatility — when price action feels sluggish — spread trading gives you an alternative way to profit. It keeps you in the game — even when momentum plays aren’t cutting it.

Bybit Spread Trading is a powerful tool that combines simplicity with sophistication. Whether you're looking to hedge, save on fees or experiment with 

 strategies, it offers a clean and user-friendly way to do so. With lower risk, lower costs and plenty of flexibility, Bybit Spread Trading is a smart move for any trader looking to level up their game — especially when markets get messy.

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Bybit Spread Trading: Smart strategies for market swings

Bybit Learn

DeFi

Explainers

Altcoins

Drift is a decentralized exchange that offers features like spot trading, market makers and perpetual swaps. Learn more here.

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 is its ability to offer unique investment opportunities. Drift hopes to explore this potential by creating an exciting new 

 (DEX). This project aims to incorporate a variety of useful features, like backstop AMM liquidity and perpetual futures. Can Drift distinguish itself from other exchanges and launch its system just in time to attract new users? This guide will help you learn all about the intriguing design of the Drift ecosystem.

, a decentralized exchange that offers features like 

, market makers and perpetual swaps, is an entirely open-source DEX on Solana.

Drift v2 is a branch of Drift that aims to incorporate even more cutting-edge features. It enhances trading efficiency by prioritizing liquidity providers and robust security measures. A community effort, Drift v2 aims to incorporate user feedback into the Drift ecosystem.

 and David Lu. Leow has a background in investment banking, while Lu’s is in venture capital. Their interest in investing encouraged them to take note of the crypto space, and they realized there was a need for better exchanges. Working alongside a team of crypto enthusiasts on 

, Lu and Leow worked to incorporate many high-end investment features into their DEX on Solana. 

In 2021, Drift was officially launched, and Drift v2 followed one year later. Since its launch, Drift has achieved notable landmarks, such as achieving over $10 billion worth of cumulative trading volume in a six-month period. 

Drift's primary aim is to create a better exchange for investors. Its design allows people to trade crypto while also taking advantage of a variety of helpful features. When creating the Drift system, its team focused on capital efficiency and asset protection. They want their users to be able to invest in ways that maximize their assets without causing high-risk behaviors. In the long run, Drift hopes to provide the best trader experience possible, which includes more accurate payouts, faster orders and more favorable prices than other exchanges.

 on the Solana blockchain. Solana executes transactions and stores data for Drift, while smart contracts help to govern trades. Through mechanisms like just-in-time auctions and backstop AMM liquidity, an entire complex system of buying and trading is created. Drift handles every aspect of crypto trading, from providing liquidity for the market to determining the order of trades. To help users access all these great features, Drift uses TypeScript and Python code to create a seamless app for traders to interact with.

Drift enhances trading efficiency by offering a lot of exciting features to active traders.

Spot trading is the classic way to manage crypto trades. Users directly purchase or sell an asset, and receive immediate delivery into their wallet. To improve trading efficiency, Drift includes 

, whereby traders can borrow from liquidity traders to obtain larger funds. Drift Spot trading also features trading bots for users who want to use automated trading.

 are contracts in which users agree to buy or sell cryptos at a certain price in the future, without an expiration date. Thus, Drift's 

 lets users hold positions indefinitely instead of having them expire. Perpetual futures trading provides a lot of options to profit, no matter how the market moves. The right contract can help you profit if a crypto's price falls, or you can choose one that further boosts your profit if prices increase. 

Perpetual swaps allow users to buy and sell perpetual futures. By enabling perpetual futures trading, Drift gives active traders even more flexibility. These perpetual swaps also include 

 trading options, so you can borrow liquidity in order to invest in a larger swap than you could otherwise afford.

With Drift, you can borrow crypto funds for your own users, or you can loan crypto to 

 system automatically determines risk and assigns interest rates. To facilitate lending, Drift has introduced robust security measures that require users to submit collateral if they want to borrow funds.

Drift's insurance fund is another example of how it’s introduced robust security measures into its system. The insurance fund is meant to guarantee the exchange will remain solvent even if there are bankruptcies. It’s backed by users staking 

In addition to earning extra money, participants can rest assured that they're helping to create a safety net for potential losses that users incur while performing leveraged trades. 

 are all about improving trading proficiency. Liquidity providers can choose to temporarily submit tokens to Drift. These pools of tokens ensure that whenever a user places an order on the exchange, Drift can fulfill it. Drift pairs the market makers with trading bots that help to create the most efficient possible transactions. 

The dynamic automated market maker seeks to get the right tokens to the right users in as few transactions as possible, so it can avoid 

 and excess fees. Participating in the Market Maker Vaults also allows passive liquidity providers to earn fees, so it's a way of profiting without permanently giving up possession of one's crypto.

Since Drift is built on Solana, it has some extra perks for users who hold SOL tokens. The super stake SOL system lets people lock Solana tokens to earn rewards from both the Solana blockchain and Drift. Super stake SOL users can earn up to 11.45% 

Fuel is an upcoming feature from Drift that will offer users more ways to earn on Drift. Little is known about it yet, but it will be a reward system that ties into the 

 is a way to add a little excitement to all of Drift's trading efficiency services. Users can earn prizes through a random weekly draw. Tickets for the draw are based on each trader's cumulative trading volume. The more you trade on Drift, the more chances you have of winning a prize. Prizes for Drift Draw range from 50 USDC to 50,000 USDC.

Backstop AMM Liquidity, or BAL for short, is an additional market-making feature available on Drift. BAL lets users pick which market to provide liquidity for, and then automatically manages positions for traders. This provides the potential for passive liquidity providers to earn additional interest from their funds.

Since 2021, Drift has launched two working versions of its exchange and designed a lot of intriguing features, such as trading perpetual swaps and the previously mentioned dynamic automated market maker. 

In 2024, the Drift team is taking a step back from technological details and focusing on the big picture. They hope to launch their decentralized autonomous organization (

) in 2024 and create a user-led governance system. This new launch will help to move Drift toward being a fully decentralized organization that’s led entirely by its community.

 for the Drift DAO. It gives Drift token holders the ability to vote on fees and protocols. DRIFT will have a total/max 

, which are going to be gradually released over five years. The token distribution plan is fairly straightforward, with 43% reserved for ecosystem development and trading rewards. Another 25% will be reserved for future protocol development, and 22% will be given to strategic participants. The remaining 10% of tokens will be given directly to Drift’s active traders in airdrops.

The DRIFT token's value has remained fairly stable since its release in mid-May 2024. Initially, the token’s price dropped from around $0.68 to $0.20, but since the first volatile day of trading, DRIFT prices have been on a slow yet steady rise. Throughout the end of May 2024, DRIFT has mostly been sitting in the $0.50 to $0.60 range. Its current price is $0.4331 (as of May 30, 2024). 

Some crypto enthusiasts predict a price of up to $2 for DRIFT within 2024. Crypto price data analysts aren't quite as optimistic, but they still predict a decent amount of growth for DRIFT. According to CoinMarketCap, market demand has resulted in a 

 to reach $1.01 in 2024 and $2.12 by 2027.

Looking to trade Drift tokens? Bybit now offers both the DRIFT/USDT Spot trading pair and DRIFTUSDT Perpetual contracts. To get started, you’ll first need to create a Bybit account, then fund it with cryptocurrency, and navigate to the 

To celebrate this listing, Bybit is holding 

 where you can earn a share of the 700,000 DRIFT prize pool.

, will award 40 DRIFT each to the first 10,000 new users who complete the following steps between May 15, 2024, 10AM UTC and May 30, 2024, 9AM UTC:

In addition, through May 30, 2024, 9AM UTC, simply trade at least 1,000 USDT worth of DRIFT on Spot to earn a share from the 200,000 DRIFT prize pool. The more you trade, the larger your share of the prize pool. Rewards will be capped at 2,000 DRIFT per user.

, is being held through May 30, 2024, 9AM UTC. Invite your friends to 1) sign up for a Bybit account with your referral code and 2) complete both steps above for new users in the 

. Both you and your qualified referee will receive 10 DRIFT for every successful referral. 

: A total of up to 100,000 DRIFT will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The DRIFT token is certainly one of the hot tokens of May 2024. Not only is it backed by a highly reputable DEX, but it also has many enthusiastic fans and is experiencing high market demand at the moment. Since people are so interested in Drift's insurance fund, crypto market and other features, its governance token is likely to perform well. 

However, keep in mind that crypto investments feature inherent volatility, and Drift has many competitors. If someone manages to do a better job of providing competitive pricing and trade efficiency, investors may lose interest in DRIFT. Therefore, it's essential to avoid overinvesting in the token and to 

 market conditions carefully before purchasing.

As a cryptocurrency exchange, Drift faces considerable competition. However, its ability to trade perpetual swaps, offer competitive pricing and provide robust security measures helps it stand out from the crowd. Drift's community of dedicated users have also helped spark considerable market demand for DRIFT governance tokens, which may lead to big things for this project in the future.

Drift (DRIFT): A Solana-Based DEX for Perpetual Futures

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