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

3.png

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

lombard tutorial.png

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

Intro to Santiment.png

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.

bybit spread trading.png

Bybit Spread Trading: Smart strategies for market swings

Bybit Learn

web3

Explainers

Altcoins

Civic (CVC) offers a versatile, secure multi-chain identity management system for web3, enhancing online reputation and reducing scam risks with Civic Pass and Civic ID.

EN_2409-T35020_Learn_Read_to_Earn_728x90.png

civic_crypto_cvc_crypto_1.png

civic_crypto_cvc_crypto_2.png

civic_crypto_cvc_crypto_3.png

civic_crypto_cvc_crypto_4.png

Skinny_Banner-1600x400.webp

 space, crypto users have long relied on their wallet's public key as their digital identity when transacting on various blockchain platforms. While this form of identity is secure and private, it also poses the problem of overreliance: if users lose access to their wallets, they lose their identity and any painstakingly cultivated reputation.

As the number of crypto scams and frauds increases, this overreliance on a single identity approach makes users more vulnerable, highlighting the need for solutions that protect personal identity information and reinforce their web3 reputation.

For this reason, Civic network has created a digital identity management solution to provide you with varied ways to own your identity. The platform offers a combination of identity solutions, including a 

Let’s explore Civic’s approach to web3 identity management.

 management platform that provides an avenue to tokenize one’s identity that makes it verifiable, private and flexible for use across the web3 landscape. 

Civic aims to provide crypto users with various options to identify themselves around the crypto space, apart from the traditional wallet public key that’s often used when transacting.

Civic was founded by Jonathan Smith and Vinny Lingham, who work with a team of over 25 members to bring the project’s vision of a decentralized identity platform to life. Civic debuted as an anti-fraud platform in 2015, but it incorporated more use cases as its identity management platform continued to expand. To make the project more scalable and affordable, Civic migrated from the 

Civic’s secure identity platform uses the concept of Proof of Personhood (PoP), which establishes that a person is linked to a single wallet operated by a human. This mechanism targets institutions looking to ascertain that a given identity doesn’t belong to a bot or an AI agent. PoP can be utilized by 

 (DApps) to ensure humanity, especially for activities such as DAO voting. 

Civic’s PoP mechanism has been integrated into its Civic Passes, which are non-transferable tokens issued to a user’s wallet once their credentials have been verified. Some of the use cases for Civic Passes include:

One example of a DAO governance platform that uses Civic Passes is 

 on Solana, with which you can easily integrate your Civic Pass into your DAO without the need for any coding.

Civic Pass is a tokenized form of identity that helps people privately manage and verify their identity across different blockchains. A Civic Pass is a form of soulbound token (SBT), since it represents a certain aspect of your digital identity. As an SBT, it’s non-transferable and can only be issued once a person’s identity has been verified. Civic Passes are available on Solana and

, Avalanche, Base, BNB Chain, Ethereum, Fantom, Optimism, Polygon, Polygon zkEVM, XDC and X Layer.

A Civic Pass is split into two types, Standard and Custom. The Standard Pass itself is further categorized into CAPTCHA Pass, Liveness Pass, Uniqueness Pass and ID Verification Pass.

Each pass has its own way of determining whether you’re a human or a bot. The CAPTCHA Pass requires you to complete a challenge-response test; the Liveness Pass and Uniqueness Pass both require a video selfie; and the ID Verification Pass requires you to pass a government-issued ID check.

Civic’s Custom Pass is created especially for DeFi platforms to streamline compliance. It allows DApps to enforce compliance rules on-chain without Civic’s user interface (UI). Developers who create Custom Passes can configure rules and functions according to their own logic, before integrating the Civic API to issue a Custom Pass to their user's wallet. An on-chain library powered by 

 is also required to help check the validity of the Civic Pass during program execution.

There are four types of third-party integrations of Civic Passes, as follows.

Civic ID is a versatile identity system designed to power human identity verification. It consists of three ID components: analogue (physical card), digital and mobile identity. Civic ID solves challenges such as AI deepfakes, catfishing, sim swaps, sybil attacks, identity fraud, account takeovers and unattributed AI content. With Civic ID, you can verify your identity across the web, secure your identity on your mobile wallet and control the data that you share. 

Civic released a physical Civic ID card in March 2024 that’s specially designed to fight AI-driven identity fraud, such as “face farming” and account takeovers. Users in over 190 countries can receive this global ID card by verifying their identity at a physical address through authorized dealers. The Civic ID card can also be customized and co-branded for an institution or company looking for a comprehensive human verification system.

Civic uses an intricate interaction between Users, Requesters (service providers) and Validators to manage identities effectively and securely. A User approaches a Requester on the Civic platform for identity services.

Upon receiving the request, the Requester presents the User with a list of Validators and the 

 (PII) needed. If the User has the acceptable PII set by the Validator, they can accept the attestation with the Validator and send the PII to the service provider. Upon receiving the PII and confirming its authenticity, the Validator will attest to the accuracy of this information and record it on the blockchain. The original remains on the User's mobile in an encrypted form.

To provide an identity verification service, the Requester and Validator have to agree on a price to attest the PII. If they’re in agreement, the Requester then deposits CVC tokens, which are held in escrow by a smart contract. The User then sends the necessary PII to the Requester, who forwards it to the Validator for attestation. Once the Requester finds the attestation acceptable, the Requester furnishes the User with the desired service. The CVC tokens are then released from escrow and paid to the Validator.

 for the Civic ecosystem. Its primary role in the Civic ecosystem is to incentivize participants by rewarding good behavior on the protocol, especially accuracy in the identity verification information provided (Validators are paid using CVC tokens). To become a Validator, one needs to stake a minimum amount of CVC tokens. Transactions are also paid for using CVC tokens.

As of Oct 30, 2024, CVC has a total supply of 1 billion tokens, with a circulating supply of 802 million and a 24-hour trading volume of over $14 million.

You can buy CVC as a USDT Perpetual contract on Bybit (

). To trade CVC, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the Bybit homepage and click on 

2. Move to the right side of the page, where you’ll find the Order zone. You’ll find three types of orders — 

3. Proceed to select your desired leverage.

5. Enter your desired price and quantity.

As of Oct 30, 2019, CVC’s price is $0.129, a 90.4% drop from its all-time high (ATH) of $1.35 on Jan 03, 2018, and an over 1,000% increase from its all-time low (ATL) of $0.011 on Mar 13, 2020.

Price prediction experts are slightly bullish on the future price of CVC. According to price experts at CoinCodex, CVC 

 a maximum price of $0.29 in 2025 and $0.37 in 2030. Experts at another price prediction platform, DigitalCoinPrice, are even more bullish over the long run, believing CVC’s price 

 $0.33 in 2025 and increase to $0.97 by 2030.

While these price forecasts are optimistic, they aren’t financial advice, and shouldn’t be taken as a guarantee of the future price of CVC.

While Civic initially presented itself as an anti-fraud platform, the demand for a universal digital identity management solution has seen the Civic project evolve to encompass a broader scope in the niche. Its versatile identity solutions are timely, especially due to the increased cases of identity theft and scams driven by the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI).

Moreover, institutions, companies and web applications are increasingly seeking to verify identities before engaging with users. The Civic ID is one such product that allows them to carry out human verification.

Some projects that have already integrated the Civic ID system include Polygon ID, Realms and Metaplex, as well as supporting blockchains like Ethereum, Solana, Arbitrum and XDC. Furthermore, the launch of the physical Civic ID will help solve challenges, such as face farming and social media account takeovers, since it will be possible to prove the authenticity of individuals’ identities.

The wide range of identity verification solutions provided by Civic provides an alternative to the traditional wallet public key, which web3 users have had to disproportionately rely on. Civic provides an extra identity layer that’s not only user-friendly, but also offers flexible options for managing one's identity. As web3 identity needs continue to evolve, projects such as Civic could experience phenomenal growth, potentially driving the native CVC token’s price over time.

While Civic sounds like a good investment, the crypto market can be highly volatile, with many 

 and other scams in the space. We highly recommend that you 

 before investing in Civic or any other crypto project.

Civic has presented the web3 space with a dynamic identity management platform that’s powered by the CVC token. With the worrying rise of online scams through identity theft, especially due to the capabilities of AI, Civic provides users with superior control over their identities. It also provides DeFi apps, gaming platforms and DAOs a decentralized way to verify human identity that eliminates AI agents and bots. For these reasons, the CVC token is one to watch as the demand for identity solutions continues to rise in the web3 space.

Civic (CVC): Streamlining Identity Verification Across Chains

Compete for 2,500 USDT Every Week

Earn Points by Completing Tasks

Event Rules

Weekly Leaderboard