Incentive-driven growth sparks debate on sustainability of decentralized derivatives boom Perpetual decentralized exchanges (perp DEXs) hit an all-time high of $70 billion in daily trading volume, with new derivatives platform Aster on BNB Chain accounting for more than half of the activity. The surge marks three consecutive days of record-breaking momentum for decentralized finance (DeFi) derivatives, but not without questions around the drivers behind this growth. On Thursday, Aster recorded nearly $36 billion in trading volume, eclipsing rivals such as Hyperliquid and Lighter, which both logged volumes above $10 billion. The trend began earlier in the week, when Aster’s 24-hour…
Author: Blockto Team
Institutional backing grows for synthetic dollar protocol built on Ethereum M2 Capital, the investment arm of UAE-based M2 Holdings, has invested $20 million in Ethena’s ENA governance token, underscoring rising institutional interest in the synthetic dollar protocol. The move comes as Ethena’s total value locked (TVL) approaches $15 billion, solidifying its position as one of the fastest-growing projects in decentralized finance. M2 integrates Ethena into client offerings M2 Holdings, which operates across custody, investment, and wealth management, confirmed plans to integrate Ethena products into client portfolios through its affiliate, M2 Global Wealth Limited. “M2’s investment in Ethena marks another important…
Technical Breakdown Shows Bearish Momentum Aptos (APT) has fallen by nearly 5% in the past 24 hours, trading around $4.10 as selling pressure increases. The latest move comes as the token retests a major support area, raising questions about whether the market can hold its current levels or faces further downside. The daily chart shows APT locked inside a descending channel since February 2025, with both lower highs and lower lows guiding the trend. The resistance line has consistently capped recovery attempts near the $5.50–$6.80 zone, while sellers have pushed prices back into consolidation ranges. At present, Aptos is hovering…
Bitcoin miner pivots deeper into high-performance computing with 10-year partnership Cipher Mining, one of the world’s largest publicly listed Bitcoin miners, has announced a landmark $3 billion AI hosting agreement with cloud infrastructure firm Fluidstack, backed by a significant financial guarantee from Google. The deal underscores how Bitcoin mining firms are diversifying into high-performance computing (HPC) as demand for artificial intelligence infrastructure accelerates. Details of the agreement The 10-year contract will see Cipher provide 168 MW of critical IT load capacity at its Barber Lake site in Colorado City, Texas. With options for two five-year renewals, the total value of…
Crypto analytics firm Nansen has unveiled an AI-powered trading agent designed to simplify onchain cryptocurrency trading. The new platform, called Nansen AI, uses natural language conversations instead of traditional trading charts, with full autonomous execution expected to roll out in Q4 2025. A Conversational Trading Experience The AI agent leverages Nansen’s extensive data set of over 500 million labeled blockchain addresses to provide users with tailored insights. At launch, the tool focuses on research and decision support, allowing investors to discover opportunities and analyze performance faster than with standard dashboards. “We’re starting with research and insights first, helping users discover…
New Bitcoin-focused pools aim to expand Curve’s ecosystem amid risk concerns Curve DAO has approved a $60 million credit line in crvUSD for Yield Basis, a new protocol developed by Curve founder Michael Egorov, setting the stage for its upcoming mainnet launch. Boosting Bitcoin liquidity and Curve ecosystem The initiative will support three liquidity pools on Ethereum — WBTC, cbBTC and tBTC — designed to tackle the challenge of impermanent loss while creating new yield opportunities in Bitcoin-based DeFi markets. According to Curve Finance, each pool will initially be capped at $10 million. By embedding crvUSD deeper into DeFi infrastructure,…
BTC price support and resistance levels keep traders on edge amid mixed signals Bitcoin is trading near $111,000 after recent rejection at higher levels, leaving the market in what one analyst calls a “market of maybes.” The daily chart shows clear technical battlegrounds: a green support zone around the $108k–$111k area and a red rejection zone near $116k–$118k, while a prior supply band sits above $122k. These levels are shaping short-term trader behavior as institutional inflows from Wall Street collide with lingering Federal Reserve caution. The chart displays a descending channel (orange trendlines) that BTC broke above earlier in September…
Stronger-than-expected GDP growth highlights economic resilience while unemployment claims ease The US economy delivered an upside surprise in the latest data release, with Final GDP for Q2 rising 3.8% quarter-on-quarter, comfortably ahead of the 3.3% forecast and matching the previous pace of 3.3%. At the same time, weekly unemployment claims fell to 218,000, below both the forecast of 233,000 and the prior week’s 231,000, signaling a firmer labor market backdrop. GDP beats expectations The stronger GDP reading reflects robust consumer spending and business investment, underscoring that the economy continues to expand despite higher borrowing costs. Analysts suggest this momentum could…
Balancing finality and fraud protection in stablecoin payments Circle, the issuer of the world’s second-largest stablecoin USDC, is exploring a controversial idea: enabling reversible transactions. The move could make stablecoins more attractive to banks and institutions but challenges one of crypto’s core principles of immutability. A break from crypto’s traditional ethos Speaking recently, Circle president Heath Tarbert said the company is studying whether fraud and hack-related reversals could be integrated into USDC while still preserving settlement finality. This approach mirrors mechanisms in traditional finance, where chargebacks and dispute systems help protect consumers. Industry debate: protection vs. decentralization Supporters argue that…
Phishing campaign bypasses passwords and two-factor authentication A sophisticated phishing attack is targeting the crypto community on X (formerly Twitter), hijacking accounts by abusing the platform’s own app authorization system. Unlike traditional phishing attempts, this method bypasses both passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA), making it far more difficult to detect. How the attack works Crypto developer Zak Cole first raised the alarm, warning that the campaign is “zero detection, active right now, full account takeover.” Unlike common scams that rely on fake login pages, this method uses X’s application support system to request access permissions directly from the user. The…