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

Trading

Indicators

Wonder whether the cryptocurrency's rally will last? Find out by applying the ADX indicator to discover the strength of trends in the market.

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Cryptocurrency traders often find it difficult to determine whether a trend will extend or reverse. On the other hand, buying a crypto asset within a strong bullish trend is more likely to provide profits. Therefore, it’s crucial to know how to find a price movement’s strength. Traders can find the best buying point by applying a good combination of technical 

, the market trends less than 30% of the time. With these trends ranging from strong to weak, it’s important to have an indicator like the Average Directional Index (ADX) because it helps with judging the strength of the trend.

The ADX indicator can help traders identify a trend’s power, reducing their number of trades and increasing accuracy. In the following section, we’ll examine the ADX indicator in cryptocurrency trading and look at ways to combine this tool with other technical indicators such as MACD, RSI, EMA and Fibonacci retracement.

The ADX indicator shows the strength of a trend by combining a trend line with a pair of directional movement indicators which accompany it. ADX is usually shown in a separate window below a price chart, and oscillates from 0 to 100. The negative directional indicator (−DI) and positive directional indicator (+DI) are assigned red and green colors, respectively, in order to determine a trend’s strength. ADX is used by traders to determine the strategy and validity of their trading decisions.

In addition to the negative and positive (red and green) lines, the ADX line itself is shown in black. Traders anticipate the strength of an underlying trend by evaluating the relationship between the red, green and black lines. Although this indicator aims to identify the strength of a trend, it also helps traders plan their entry and exit points — or whether even to make a given trade. This trading tool is a valuable price indicator for day traders, scalpers and others.

The application of this indicator is straightforward, although beginning traders might struggle with the complexity of separate lines in different colors. Understanding the elements and calculation method of the ADX indicator can help traders in applying it.

ADX is based on a moving average where the price range expansion is shown for a certain period. In other words, it defines the 

 of the directional index (DX) for a particular time. In most platforms, the default period is 14 days, but traders can change this according to their needs. The calculation method of this indicator is complex, but it’s worth it for traders to familiarize themselves with the derivation of its formula.

In this calculation, +DM represents the difference between the current high and the previous high, and −DM indicates the difference between the previous low and current low. Meanwhile, ATR refers to the 

In cryptocurrency trading, prices can move faster than in traditional financial markets, where finding a trend would potentially bring more predictable profits. As a result, crypto traders can anticipate the future price with less risk and higher returns using the ADX indicator.

Most professional traders use the ADX indicator as a tool to gauge market trends. However, as with other technical indicators, it’s not a complete solution. Therefore, it’s essential to know when the ADX will work and when it won’t. Let’s look at the pros and cons of using the ADX indicator.

The positive and negative indicators of the ADX represent the market trend’s strength by moving up and down. When the positive directional indicator (+DI) keeps moving up, it means the market is in a strong trend. A market trend is getting weaker when the negative directional indicator (−DI) is driving downward. 

Focusing on the details of these lines can help you to make a precise trading decision. For example, the ADX moves from 0–100 such that you can divide the range of values into the following categories:

The first use of the ADX indicator is from its value. When the ADX value moves up and reaches 25, it tells you that a trend is getting stronger. Therefore, if you’re interested in buying a crypto asset, you can wait for the ADX value to reach 25 before opening the trade. On the other hand, if the ADX value decreases from 80 to 70, the trend is becoming weaker. Another approach is to use the −DI and +DI to increase trading accuracy.

In the above image, the ADX line remains above 20 most of the time, indicating a strong bullish trend. However, the better trading entries come when the ADX line exceeds 20 and pushes higher.

The crossover between −DI and +DI works as an essential trend indicator. When the +DI moves above the −DI while the ADX value remains above 20, we can say that the buying trend is more likely to extend into the future. Conversely, when the −DI crosses above the +DI with the ADX value remaining above 20, we can say that the downtrend is getting stronger, and traders can open sell trades now.

In the above image, the indicators fulfill three necessary ADX trading conditions:

In addition, traders should focus on the nature of the ADX lines. If they make consecutive higher highs or lower lows, this indicates the trend is stable. Therefore, in a trending market, any trend-following strategy has a greater possibility of providing profits. 

In the above 3-day LTC/USD chart, the broader trend remains bullish while some part of the trend remains volatile. For example, although ADX lines remain above 20, they fail to show consecutive highs or lows. As a result, the price moves higher but comes down immediately, which is a sign of volatility.

Another approach is to use multiple time frame analysis to identify the major market trend from daily or weekly charts using the ADX indicator, and open trades based on any trend-following strategy in lower time frames. However, traders should keep in mind that the ADX also works as an indicator of neutral trends. For example, in a volatile market structure, the ADX will move sideways due to insufficient liquidity.

A cryptocurrency market is decentralized, and transactions are conducted through a peer-to-peer network. Therefore, the price of a crypto asset changes according to pure supply and demand, with traders aiming to anticipate future prices based on the use of several technical tools. Since ADX is an indicator which can help increase the probability of trading success, traders are advised to combine ADX with other indicators to generate more profitable trades.

Let’s see how to combine the ADX indicator with some popular indicators in crypto trading.

 (MACD) have the most accurate correlation, as each of these indicators can explain both the continuation and reversal of a trend. MACD helps traders define the trend direction using a histogram that moves below and above the zero line.

When the MACD histogram breaks above zero, we can consider a trend to be bullish. Conversely, when the MACD histogram breaks below zero, we may consider the trend as bearish. 

Moreover, we can define the trend’s strength by looking at how histograms are moving. Since it’s a lagging indicator, MACD often shows the market direction after the fact. In this case, the use of the ADX indicator can increase the accurate projection of trade probability. 

The MACD histogram should be above zero for a buy trade, while the ADX should be above 25. Meanwhile, if the +DI crosses over the −DI, it will confirm the buy trade.

The above BTC/USD daily chart displays a bullish engulfing bar coming off of the big round number of $30,000. To improve the trading accuracy, we can now combine the MACD and ADX indicators to confirm the potential buy signal. The MACD histogram turns bullish, while at the same time the ADX breaks above 25 and the +DI crosses above the −DI, setting the stage for a rally. 

 indicator to find the possible reversal zone of a trend. When the RSI indicator moves below 30, an asset is considered oversold, and above 70 is considered overbought. Therefore, with this combination of indicators, traders should find the reversal by looking at the RSI level and determining the strength of the reversal using ADX. 

In cryptocurrency trading, investors can combine an RSI indicator moving up from the oversold level with a buy indication in the ADX.

The above image shows an ETH/USD H1 chart in which a buying opportunity appears from a support level while the RSI and ADX indicator are both supportive.

 (EMA) represents the average price of a specific number of candles. The unique feature of EMA is that it considers the most recent price in the calculator that can provide a more accurate price direction than a traditional simple moving average (SMA). Therefore, EMA offers the best result for a lower value. In this regard, we can consider an EMA of 20 as a dynamic support or resistance level. 

Thus, in cryptocurrency trading, if the price rejects from the dynamic 20 EMA and closes the candle above it, we can consider it a potential buying point. Note that EMA might provide false signals, as it’s a lagging indicator. Adding the ADX can help eliminate false signals.

In the above image, we can see that the price shows several rejections from the dynamic 20 EMA while the ADX lines are above 20. As a result, the price has been moving higher in a strong bullish trend.

 represents the correction of a trend where the price reverses against the existing trend, but resumes the momentum from certain levels. These levels are known as Fibonacci retracement numbers, and are derived from the 

. One of the most desirable Fibonacci retracement numbers is 0.618, often referred to as the Golden Ratio. In the investment world, people consider this tool as a highly profitable one since this mathematical pattern is found virtually everywhere in the natural world.

When using this method, traders should find the existing trend first. Later on, draw the Fibonacci retracement lines from swing high to swing low, and see if the price shows bullish rejection at the 61.8% level. Finally, confirm the ADX level above 20 in that area to ensure that the current momentum is strong.

The above image shows that the overall market trend is bullish, when a sudden drop opens a buying opportunity from the 61.8% Fibonacci retracement line. Meanwhile, the ADX is above 20, indicating that the trend’s overall strength is vital.

In a nutshell, most of the profit from cryptocurrency trading comes from following solid trends, and there’s no better choice for finding the strength of a trend than ADX. The ADX indicator is one of the most complete trading tools, and can surely benefit any crypto investment decision. The most valuable part of this indicator is that it perfectly pairs with oscillators and moving averages.

Like other technical indicators, the ADX cannot provide 100% accuracy with its signals. Therefore, having proper money management rules to follow is essential to your overall trading success.

ADX Indicator: Discover What’s Trending in the Crypto Market

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